Powell, Joshua David
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Verified Staff Sergeant Joshua David Powell, 25, of New Berlin, Illinois, was a U.S. Army soldier serving with the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade. He was killed in action on September 21, 2010, in Qalat, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Joshua David Powell was a 25-year-old Staff Sergeant from New Berlin, Illinois. He served in the U.S. Army with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 6th Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. According to his service record, his military career included deployments to Afghanistan, the Philippines, and the Horn of Africa.
On September 21, 2010, Powell died in Qalat, the capital of Zabul province in southern Afghanistan. The Department of Defense announced he was killed while conducting combat operations. A contemporaneous news report from the Springfield, Illinois, State Journal-Register stated he died from wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Powell's death occurred during Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In 2010, the war was in a period of intensified counterinsurgency operations and a significant troop surge. Zabul province, where Qalat is located, was a known transit area for insurgent fighters moving between Pakistan and other parts of Afghanistan.
The Army posthumously awarded Powell the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal. His body was returned to Illinois, and a funeral service was held in New Berlin. The State Journal-Register reported that hundreds of community members lined the streets during the procession to pay their respects.
He is memorialized on the Sangamon County War Memorial in Springfield, Illinois. His name is also inscribed on Panel 10R, Line 105 of the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum in Georgia.
Explore Further
Staff Sergeant Joshua Powell 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.
