Phaneuf, Ryan Scott

Capt. Ryan Scott Phaneuf was a U.S. Air Force officer from Hudson, New Hampshire. He was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron, part of the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. The squadron operates B-1B Lancer strategic bombers.

On January 27, 2020, Phaneuf was killed when the U.S. Air Force E-11A aircraft he was aboard crashed in the Dih Yak district of Ghazni Province, Afghanistan. The aircraft, a modified Bombardier Global Express business jet used for battlefield communications, reportedly went down in Taliban-controlled territory. The crash killed both crew members on board, including Phaneuf. The U.S. military later recovered their remains from the site.

Phaneuf's death occurred during Operation Freedom's Sentinel, the U.S. military mission in Afghanistan that succeeded the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission on January 1, 2015. The mission's stated objectives included training, advising, and assisting Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations.

Following the crash, the 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base confirmed Phaneuf's death. The Air Force posthumously promoted him from lieutenant to captain. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Capt. Phaneuf was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Medal. He is memorialized on a plaque at Ellsworth Air Force Base and is listed on the Air Force Memorial's 'Roll of Honor.'

Capt. Ryan Phaneuf was killed during Operation Freedom's Sentinel (ongoing since 2015). See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Golden, Jonathan Joseph, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael, Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii.

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