Ruiz, Pablo Allende Iii
Male
Verified Master Sergeant Pablo Allende Ruiz III, 37, of Melbourne, Florida, was a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier. He was killed in action on May 24, 2015, at Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Master Sergeant Pablo Allende Ruiz III was a senior non-commissioned officer assigned to the 4th Support Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. A native of Melbourne, Florida, he was 37 years old at the time of his death.
According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Ruiz died on May 24, 2015, at Bagram Airfield in Parwan province, Afghanistan. The official cause was listed as a non-combat incident. No further operational details about the circumstances were publicly released by the military.
Ruiz'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. The operation focused on counterterrorism and training Afghan national security forces.
The Army announced his death in a press release on May 26, 2015. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. His remains were returned to the United States.
Master Sergeant Ruiz is memorialized on the Army Special Operations Command casualty list and the Special Forces Memorial Wall at Fort Bragg. His name is also inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Melbourne Military Museum in his hometown.
Explore Further
Master Sergeant Ruiz 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.
