Nieves, Rafael Angel Jr

Rafael Angel Nieves Jr. was born in Albany, New York. He enlisted in the United States Army and was assigned as a Specialist to Company B, 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His unit was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

On July 10, 2011, Nieves died from wounds sustained in a hostile incident at Forward Operating Base Orgun-E in Paktika Province, Afghanistan. According to the Department of Defense, he was injured in an indirect fire attack on the base. He was treated at the base's hospital but succumbed to his injuries.

Operation Enduring Freedom was the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks. By 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with U.S. and allied forces engaged in counterinsurgency operations and training Afghan security forces. Paktika Province, bordering Pakistan, was a region of significant insurgent activity.

Nieves's death was reported by the Department of Defense and noted in several news publications. He was one of 42 American service members killed in Afghanistan in July 2011, a month that saw intense fighting during the summer fighting season.

Specialist Nieves was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Empire State Plaza in Albany and on online veterans' memorials. His name is inscribed on Panel 6W, Line 127 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum.

Specialist Nieves 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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