May, Erik Nathaniel

Erik Nathaniel May was a 26-year-old sergeant from Independence, Kansas. He served with Company A, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, part of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. At the time of his death, his unit was operating under the command of Combined Joint Task Force-1, also known as Task Force Devil, which was built around the 1st Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division.

On July 14, 2012, May was killed by enemy small-arms fire during a dismounted patrol in the village of Sar Tasan, located in the volatile Ghazni province of eastern Afghanistan. The patrol was engaged in a firefight with insurgent forces. The Department of Defense officially announced his death three days later, on July 17.

May's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2012, the war was in a period of intense counterinsurgency and transition, with U.S. and NATO forces conducting frequent patrols to secure population centers and train Afghan security forces ahead of a planned withdrawal.

Following his death, May's body was returned to the United States. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal. A memorial service was held in his hometown of Independence, Kansas.

Sgt. May is remembered on the 1st Infantry Division's memorial wall at Fort Riley, Kansas. His name is also inscribed on Panel 50W, Line 15 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia.

Sgt. May 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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