Whitehead, Shaun Jeffrey

Staff Sgt. Shaun Jeffrey Whitehead was a 24-year-old soldier from Commerce, Georgia. He served with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Whitehead died on April 24, 2008, in Balad, Iraq, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. The attack occurred during combat operations.

Whitehead was killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a conflict that began with the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. His death occurred in 2008, a period following the U.S. military's troop surge, which aimed to reduce sectarian violence and insurgent attacks across the country.

His death was announced by the Department of Defense. He was posthumously promoted from the rank of sergeant to staff sergeant. Whitehead was survived by his wife and other family members.

Staff Sgt. Whitehead is memorialized on the 101st Airborne Division memorial at Fort Campbell and on online veterans' memorials. His unit, the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, sustained multiple casualties throughout its deployments to Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Whitehead 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.

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