Pleitez, Benjamin Carlos

Benjamin Carlos Pleitez was a 25-year-old from Turlock, California. He served as a Specialist in the U.S. Army National Guard, assigned to the 649th Military Police Company, 185th Military Police Battalion, 49th Military Police Brigade, part of the 40th Infantry Division based in San Luis Obispo, California.

On July 27, 2012, Specialist Pleitez died in Mazar-e-Sharif, the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, he was killed by small arms fire while on patrol. The incident occurred in a relatively stable region where his unit was conducting a train-and-advise mission with Afghan security forces.

Pleitez died during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. By 2012, the conflict was in a phase focused on transitioning security responsibilities to Afghan forces following a surge of U.S. troops. Mazar-e-Sharif was a key hub for these transition efforts in the north.

The Department of Defense announced his death on July 30, 2012. His body was returned to the United States, and he was buried with military honors. His family and community in Turlock held memorial services, and he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the California State Capitol and on online veterans' memorials. His name is inscribed on Panel 18W, Line 127 of the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Sacramento, which also honors those lost in later conflicts.

Benjamin Pleitez 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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