O`brien, Nicholas Shea

Nicholas Shea O'Brien was a 21-year-old Marine from Stanley, North Carolina. He served with the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8, part of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) and the 1st Marine Division, based at Camp Pendleton, California.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Lance Corporal O'Brien died on June 9, 2011, in Helmand province, Afghanistan. The official cause was listed as 'hostile' action. Specific details of the engagement were not publicly released by the military.

O'Brien's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2011, Helmand province was a major center of combat operations and the site of a significant U.S. troop surge aimed at countering Taliban influence.

He was survived by his parents and siblings. O'Brien was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Stanley City Hall in his hometown.

Lance Corporal O'Brien is remembered on the online 'Faces of the Fallen' memorial maintained by The Washington Post and in local tributes in North Carolina. His battalion, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, sustained heavy casualties during its 2010-2011 deployment to Afghanistan.

Lance Corporal O'Brien 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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