Ridout, Juan Miguel
Male
Verified Staff Sgt. Juan Miguel Ridout, 29, of Oak Harbor, Washington, was a combat controller assigned to the U.S. Air Force's 320th Special Tactics Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan. He was killed in action in Afghanistan on February 22, 2002.
Their Story
Juan Miguel Ridout was a Staff Sergeant in the United States Air Force, serving as a combat controller with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron. The squadron, based at Kadena Air Base in Japan, is part of Air Force Special Operations Command. Combat controllers are trained to deploy into combat zones to establish airfield control and direct close air support for ground forces.
Ridout was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan that began in October 2001. In early 2002, U.S. and allied forces were engaged in operations against Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants in the mountainous eastern regions of the country.
On February 22, 2002, Ridout was participating in a mission in the Shah-i-Kot Valley, the site of a major offensive later known as Operation Anaconda. According to U.S. Department of Defense records, he was killed by enemy fire during the operation. He was 29 years old.
His death was among the first suffered by U.S. Air Force special operations personnel in Afghanistan. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor and the Purple Heart. The conflict in which he served, Operation Enduring Freedom, concluded in December 2014.
Ridout was a native of Oak Harbor, Washington. His name is recorded on the Afghanistan War memorial at the Air Force Special Operations Command headquarters and in the Defense Casualty Analysis System.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military response in Afghanistan, began in 2001 and 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.
