Ruiz, Kcey Elena
Female
Verified Senior Airman Kcey Elena Ruiz, 21, of McDonough, Georgia, was a U.S. Air Force security forces airman. She was killed in action on October 2, 2015, in Jalalabad, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Senior Airman Kcey Elena Ruiz was a 21-year-old from McDonough, Georgia. She served as a member of the 66th Security Forces Squadron, based at Hanscom Air Force Base in Massachusetts, and was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Freedom's Sentinel.
On October 2, 2015, Ruiz was killed in a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (SVBIED) attack on a NATO convoy in Jalalabad, Nangarhar province. The attack occurred near the city's airport. The Department of Defense confirmed her death the same day.
Operation Freedom's Sentinel was the U.S. mission that began in January 2015, succeeding the larger International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) combat mission. Its stated objectives included training Afghan forces and conducting counterterrorism operations. The attack in Jalalabad occurred as the Taliban and other insurgent groups contested control of provincial centers.
Her death was reported by major U.S. news outlets, including the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which noted she was the first female airman killed in Operation Freedom's Sentinel. The Air Force returned her remains to Dover Air Force Base, and she was later buried in Georgia.
Ruiz was posthumously promoted from Airman First Class to Senior Airman. Her name is inscribed on the Air Force Memorial and is included in the Defense Department's casualty lists from the conflict.
Explore Further
Senior Airman Ruiz 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, Gonzalez, Jose Juan, Sanchez, Maria Victoria, Dawson, John Michael.
