Oliveira, Jorge Miguel

Staff Sergeant Jorge Miguel Oliveira was a 33-year-old soldier from Newark, New Jersey. He served with the New Jersey Army National Guard's Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 113th Infantry Regiment, part of the 50th Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Riverdale. Oliveira had previously deployed to the Philippines and the Horn of Africa before his assignment to Afghanistan.

On October 19, 2011, Oliveira was killed in Yah Ya Khel, a village in the Zurmat district of Paktia province, Afghanistan. According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, his death was the result of a hostile incident. He was one of two U.S. soldiers killed in Afghanistan that day.

Oliveira's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2011, the war was in its tenth year, with U.S. and coalition forces engaged in counterinsurgency operations, particularly in the country's eastern provinces like Paktia.

Following his death, the New Jersey National Guard and local officials publicly honored Oliveira. His body was returned to the United States, and a memorial service was held. Governor Chris Christie ordered flags flown at half-staff in his memory.

Oliveira was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. He is remembered on memorials for New Jersey's fallen soldiers and by his unit. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Guard Militia Museum of New Jersey.

Staff Sergeant Oliveira 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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