O`keeffe, Andreas Brian

Also known as: MAJ, 101ST RESCUE SQUADRON, FRANCIS S. GABRESKI JAP, NY (ACC)

Combatant

Male Verified

DiedMarch 15, 2018

Age37 years old

Location of DeathNEAR AL ASAD AB, IRAQ

Cause of DeathWounds sustained from an indirect fire attack (rocket or mortar fire) on Al Asad Air Base

Conflict Operation Inherent Resolve

Major Andreas Brian O'Keeffe, 37, of Tampa, Florida, was a U.S. Air Force officer assigned to the 101st Rescue Squadron. He was killed in action on March 15, 2018, near Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.

Their Story

Major Andreas Brian O'Keeffe was a 37-year-old Air Force officer from Tampa, Florida. He was a member of the 101st Rescue Squadron, a unit specializing in combat search and rescue based at Francis S. Gabreski Air National Guard Base in New York.

O'Keeffe died on March 15, 2018, from wounds sustained during an indirect fire attack on Al Asad Air Base in western Iraq's Anbar province. The U.S. Department of Defense stated he was supporting Operation Inherent Resolve at the time of his death.

Operation Inherent Resolve was the U.S.-led coalition's military intervention against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Iraq and Syria, which began in August 2014. By 2018, coalition and local partner forces were engaged in a protracted campaign to eliminate the last pockets of ISIS-held territory.

Following his death, O'Keeffe's body was returned to the United States. The Air Force and his home unit, the 101st Rescue Squadron, publicly acknowledged his loss and expressed condolences to his family and colleagues.

Major O'Keeffe was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Meritorious Service Medal. His name is inscribed on the Air Force Memorial and is included in the Defense Department's official casualty lists for the conflict.