Massarelli, Robert Anthony

Staff Sergeant Robert Anthony Massarelli was a 32-year-old soldier from Hamilton, Ohio. He served in the U.S. Army as part of the 96th Transportation Company, 117th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 45th Sustainment Brigade, Joint Sustainment Command-Afghanistan. His service reportedly included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.

Massarelli died on June 24, 2012, in Kandahar City, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, he was killed by small arms fire while on a dismounted patrol. The incident occurred in the volatile Kandahar province, a longtime stronghold of the Taliban insurgency.

Massarelli's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2012, the conflict was in its eleventh year, with a focus on counterinsurgency and the training of Afghan security forces. Kandahar, the country's second-largest city, was a central battleground.

The Department of Defense officially announced his death on June 25, 2012. His body was returned to the United States. He was survived by his wife and other family members, who received condolences from military officials and his unit.

Staff Sergeant Massarelli was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse and on online veterans' memorials. His unit remembered him as a dedicated non-commissioned officer.

Staff Sergeant Massarelli was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001–2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.

Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.

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