Nichols, Bryan Joseph
Male
Verified Bryan Joseph Nichols was a 31-year-old Chief Warrant Officer 2 from Hays, Kansas, serving with Company B, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment. He died on August 6, 2011, at Combat Outpost Sayed Abad, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Bryan Joseph Nichols, 31, of Hays, Kansas, was a soldier in the United States Army. He was assigned to Company B, 7th Battalion, 158th Aviation Regiment, based in New Century, Kansas. The unit, part of the 16th Combat Aviation Brigade, was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On August 6, 2011, Nichols was killed by enemy small arms fire at Combat Outpost Sayed Abad in Wardak province, Afghanistan. According to military reports, the outpost came under a complex attack by insurgents that included small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire. The attack resulted in the deaths of two U.S. soldiers, including Nichols, and wounded several others.
Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with a significant focus on counter-insurgency operations and training Afghan security forces. Wardak province, south of Kabul, was an area of frequent insurgent activity.
The Department of Defense announced Nichols's death on August 8, 2011. He was posthumously promoted from Warrant Officer 1 to Chief Warrant Officer 2. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried in Kansas.
Nichols was survived by his wife and children. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and at the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial Visitor Education Center, which includes a profile of his service.
Explore Further
Nichols 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.
