Pharris, Robert Wayne
Male
Verified SFC Robert Wayne Pharris, 48, of Seymour, Missouri, was a U.S. Army National Guard soldier killed in Khugyani, Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, on January 5, 2011.
Their Story
Robert Wayne Pharris was a 48-year-old senior non-commissioned officer from Seymour, Missouri. He served with Company D, 1st Battalion, 138th Infantry Regiment, a unit of the Missouri Army National Guard based in Monett.
On January 5, 2011, Pharris was killed in Khugyani district, Nangarhar province, eastern Afghanistan. The U.S. Department of Defense stated his death was the result of hostile action. According to contemporaneous reporting, his unit was engaged in a firefight with insurgents in the district that day.
His death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan. By early 2011, the conflict was in its tenth year, with a surge of U.S. forces deployed to counter insurgent activity, particularly in the volatile eastern provinces bordering Pakistan.
Pharris's body was returned to Missouri. A funeral service was held at the Seymour High School gymnasium, and he was buried with full military honors in the Seymour Masonic Cemetery. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of Sergeant First Class.
Pharris was remembered by his community and fellow guardsmen. He was a veteran of the Missouri National Guard with over two decades of service. His name is inscribed on the Missouri Veterans Memorial in Springfield and on Panel 16W, Line 127 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum.
Explore Further
SFC Robert Pharris 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.
