Roque, Lester Gomez
Male
Verified Corporal Lester Gomez Roque, 23, of Torrance, California, served with the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He was killed in action on November 10, 2007, in Aranus, Afghanistan.
Their Story
Corporal Lester Gomez Roque was a paratrooper assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based in Vicenza, Italy. His unit was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001.
On November 10, 2007, Roque was operating in the Aranus area of Afghanistan's Kunar Province, a mountainous region near the Pakistani border known for insurgent activity. According to U.S. Department of Defense records, he was killed by enemy small arms fire during a combat operation.
His death was part of a sharp increase in violence in Afghanistan during that period. The year 2007 saw the highest annual U.S. casualty count of the war up to that point, with intensified fighting in eastern provinces like Kunar and neighboring Nuristan.
Roque was 23 years old. A native of Torrance, California, he was one of 2356 American service members who died during Operation Enduring Freedom, which concluded in December 2014. His battalion, the 2-503rd, sustained significant casualties during its 2007-2008 deployment.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. combat mission 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.
