Mcdaniel, William Louis Ii

Master Sergeant William Louis McDaniel II was a U.S. Air Force Special Tactics combat controller assigned to the 320th Special Tactics Squadron, based at Kadena Air Base in Japan. Special Tactics airmen are trained to deploy with U.S. Army Special Forces and Navy SEAL teams to coordinate close air support and conduct reconnaissance. McDaniel, a native of Greenville, Ohio, was 36 years old at the time of his death.

McDaniel was killed on February 22, 2002, during a combat mission in the Shah-i-Kot Valley of eastern Afghanistan, according to U.S. Department of Defense records. He was part of a joint special operations force engaged in Operation Anaconda, a large-scale effort to clear al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters from the mountainous region.

Operation Anaconda, which lasted from early March to mid-March 2002, was a major early battle of Operation Enduring Freedom. The operation involved intense ground fighting and sustained airstrikes in difficult terrain. U.S. and allied Afghan forces faced determined resistance from an entrenched enemy force.

The Pentagon announced McDaniel's death on February 25, 2002. He was reportedly the first U.S. Air Force Special Tactics airman killed in combat since the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu. His body was returned to the United States for burial.

Master Sergeant McDaniel's name is inscribed on the Air Force Special Operations Command Memorial Wall at Hurlburt Field, Florida, and on the Global War on Terrorism memorial at the Air Force Academy. The 320th Special Tactics Squadron continues to honor its fallen members.

Master Sergeant McDaniel 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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