West, Laurent Jerome

Staff Sergeant Laurent Jerome West was a 32-year-old soldier from Southport, North Carolina. He deployed to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, serving in the U.S. Army.

West died on March 11, 2008, in the town of Kishkishkia, located in Iraq's Nineveh province. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, he was killed by enemy small-arms fire during a dismounted patrol.

Operation Iraqi Freedom began with a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. By 2008, the conflict had evolved into a complex counterinsurgency and sectarian war, with significant combat operations occurring in northern provinces like Nineveh.

The Army posthumously awarded West the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He was survived by his wife and children, and his death was reported by local media in his home state of North Carolina.

West is memorialized on the Iraq War Veterans Memorial and by his unit. His name is listed among the more than 4,400 U.S. service members who died during the conflict.

Staff Sergeant West was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2010). The conflict concluded in August 2010 with the official end of U.S. combat operations. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Kennedy, Brian Matthew, Beaupre, Ryan Anthony, Gutierrez, Jose, Waters-bey, Kendall Damon.

← Return to the full memorial | Add a memorial record