Nishizuka, Reid Kijiro

Captain Reid Kijiro Nishizuka was a U.S. Air Force officer assigned to the 427th Reconnaissance Squadron, based at Beale Air Force Base in California. The squadron operates the MC-12W Liberty aircraft, a twin-engine turboprop used for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions. Nishizuka, a native of South Bend, Indiana, was 30 years old at the time of his deployment to Afghanistan.

On April 27, 2013, Nishizuka was killed when his MC-12W surveillance aircraft crashed near Kandahar Airfield in southern Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense stated the crash was not caused by enemy fire. An Air Force investigation later concluded the probable cause was a loss of control following an aerodynamic stall during a low-altitude training maneuver. Three other American service members also died in the crash.

Nishizuka died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2013, the mission was in a period of transition, with a surge of U.S. forces having been drawn down and a focus shifting to training Afghan security forces. The Taliban remained a potent insurgent force, particularly in southern provinces like Kandahar.

Following his death, Nishizuka was posthumously promoted from First Lieutenant to Captain. His remains were returned to the United States, and he was buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Air Force awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal and the Air Medal for his service.

Captain Nishizuka is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists and at Beale Air Force Base. The specific reconnaissance work of the 427th Squadron, involving the gathering of battlefield intelligence to protect ground forces, was a critical, though often less visible, component of the war effort.

Captain Reid Nishizuka 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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