Ridgley, Charles Edward Jr
Male
Verified U.S. Army Captain Charles Edward Ridgley Jr., 40, of Baltimore, Maryland, was killed in a hostile incident in Gamberi, Afghanistan, on April 16, 2011. He served with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Bat
Their Story
Charles Edward Ridgley Jr. was a 40-year-old Army captain from Baltimore, Maryland. He was assigned to the 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, based out of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, as part of the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
On April 16, 2011, a man wearing an Afghan National Army uniform opened fire on a group of U.S. and Afghan personnel at Forward Operating Base Gamberi in Laghman province. The attack, described by military officials as an insider or 'green-on-blue' incident, killed Ridgley and eight other coalition soldiers.
The incident was one of the deadliest single insider attacks of the war. It occurred during a key leader engagement at the base's operations center, according to a subsequent U.S. military investigation. The shooter, an Afghan soldier, was reportedly killed at the scene.
Captain Ridgley's death came as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. The war would continue for over three more years after his death, concluding with the formal end of combat operations in December 2014.
His name was recorded in the Defense Casualty Analysis System on the day he died. He is memorialized on websites honoring U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. combat mission in Afghanistan, 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.
