Rios Ordonez, Gustavo Adolfo
Male
Verified Private First Class Gustavo Adolfo Rios Ordonez, 25, of Englewood, Ohio, served with Troop B, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team, U.S. Army. He was killed in action on June 20, 2011, in West Pashmul, Afghanist
Their Story
Private First Class Gustavo Adolfo Rios Ordonez died on June 20, 2011, in the village of West Pashmul, located in the Zhari district of Kandahar province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Troop B, 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, part of the 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Riley, Kansas. His unit was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001.
According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Rios Ordonez was killed by enemy small arms fire during a dismounted patrol. The Zhari district, a known Taliban stronghold west of Kandahar city, was the scene of intense counterinsurgency operations throughout 2010 and 2011. The 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment was engaged in clearing and holding operations in the area.
Rios Ordonez was 25 years old and a native of Englewood, Ohio. He entered active-duty service in July 2010 and arrived at Fort Riley that November. His military awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Good Conduct Medal, and the Combat Action Badge, awarded posthumously.
His death was recorded by the Defense Department on June 22, 2011. He was one of 1,833 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan in the year 2011, the deadliest year of the war for American forces. Operation Enduring Freedom concluded in December 2014, having lasted over 13 years.
The loss of PFC Rios Ordonez was noted in local Ohio media and in the official roll of casualties from the Afghanistan War. He is memorialized on the Afghanistan War casualty lists maintained by the Pentagon and by independent archives documenting the conflict's human cost.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan, concluded in December 2014 after 13 years. 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.
