Null, Nicholas Heath
Male
Verified Chief Petty Officer Nicholas Heath Null, 30, of Washington, West Virginia, was a U.S. Navy sailor assigned to Naval Special Warfare Development Group. He died in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, on August 6, 2011.
Their Story
Nicholas Heath Null was a 30-year-old Chief Petty Officer from Washington, West Virginia. He was a member of the U.S. Navy's elite Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), a unit commonly associated with SEAL Team Six. According to public records, his service included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.
On August 6, 2011, Null was killed during a mission in the Tangi Valley of Wardak Province, Afghanistan. The mission involved an assault on a Taliban compound. According to U.S. military reports, the CH-47 Chinook helicopter transporting him and other personnel was shot down by enemy fire, resulting in the single deadliest incident for U.S. forces in the Afghanistan war. All 38 people on board, including 30 American service members and 8 Afghans, were killed.
Null's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The incident in Wardak Province was part of ongoing counter-insurgency operations against Taliban forces in the country's eastern regions. The war would continue for over three more years after his death.
The loss of the helicopter and its crew prompted official statements of condolence from U.S. military and political leaders. Null was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Valor and the Purple Heart. His body was returned to the United States, and he was buried with full military honors.
Null is memorialized on the Navy SEAL Memorial at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida. His name is also inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Veterans Memorial Park in his home state of West Virginia, where he is remembered among those from the state who died in the conflict.
Explore Further
Nicholas Null 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.
