Nance, Michael Isaiah

Michael Isaiah Nance was a 24-year-old soldier from Chicago, Illinois. He served as a Specialist in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Specialist Nance died on July 29, 2019, in Tarin Kowt, the capital of Uruzgan province in southern Afghanistan. The official release stated his death was the result of hostile action, though specific details of the engagement were not publicly disclosed by the military.

Nance's death occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. mission that began in January 2015 following the conclusion of the larger International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission. By mid-2019, U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan were reported to be below 5,000, with forces primarily focused on training Afghan units and conducting counterterrorism operations against groups like the Taliban and ISIS-Khorasan.

The Pentagon announced Nance's death on July 30, 2019. His unit, the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, is part of the 82nd Airborne Division, a unit with a long history of deployments to Afghanistan. No further public statements from family or detailed accounts of the incident's aftermath were widely reported in national news media.

Specialist Nance's name is recorded on the Afghanistan War casualty lists maintained by the Department of Defense and on memorials honoring those who died during Operation Freedom's Sentinel. His specific legacy and any personal tributes remain within the community of his family, unit, and hometown.

Michael Isaiah Nance was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (ongoing since January 2015). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Gonzalez, Jose Juan, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael.

← Return to the full memorial | Add a memorial record