Whisenhunt, Jerald Allen
Male
Verified U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Jerald Allen Whisenhunt, 32, of Orrick, Missouri, died on February 8, 2008, in Taji, Iraq, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Their Story
Jerald Allen Whisenhunt was a 32-year-old Sergeant First Class from Orrick, Missouri. He served with Company B, 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, part of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.
On February 8, 2008, Whisenhunt was killed by enemy small-arms fire in Taji, a city north of Baghdad. The U.S. Department of Defense announced his death the following day. Another soldier, Specialist Matthew F. Straughter, was killed in the same incident.
Whisenhunt's death occurred during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a conflict that began with a U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. By early 2008, the war was in its fifth year, with U.S. and coalition forces engaged in counter-insurgency operations and efforts to train Iraqi security forces.
Whisenhunt was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried in the Missouri Veterans Cemetery in Higginsville.
He is remembered on memorial walls in Missouri and Hawaii. His name is inscribed on Panel 38E, Line 28 of the Iraq War Memorial at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery of New Mexico.
Explore Further
SFC Jerald Whisenhunt was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003–2010). The conflict concluded in August 2010. 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.
