Rowe, Blue Charles
Male
Verified First Sergeant Blue Charles Rowe, 33, of Summers, Arkansas, was a U.S. Army Reserve soldier with Detachment 22, 426th Civil Affairs Battalion. He died in Parwan province, Afghanistan, on May 26, 2009, from hostile action.
Their Story
First Sergeant Blue Charles Rowe was a 33-year-old Army reservist from the small town of Summers, Arkansas. He served with Detachment 22 of the 426th Civil Affairs Battalion, a unit based in Upland, California. Civil Affairs units specialize in building relationships between military forces and local populations, a critical and often dangerous mission in counterinsurgency warfare.
Rowe died on May 26, 2009, in Afghanistan's Parwan province. The province, north of Kabul, is home to Bagram Airfield, a major coalition hub. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, his death was the result of hostile action. No further specifics regarding the incident were publicly released in initial casualty reports.
His death occurred during a period of intensified U.S. military operations in Afghanistan. 2009 saw a significant increase in American troop levels as part of a strategy review, with forces pushing into contested areas to disrupt insurgent networks. Parwan, while containing a large secure base, was not immune to attacks.
First Sergeant Rowe was one of 317 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan in 2009, a year that marked a sharp escalation in combat fatalities. His battalion was part of the Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command, tasked with supporting governance and stability projects.
Rowe's home state of Arkansas remembered him among its fallen. His name is inscribed on memorials honoring the state's casualties from the post-9/11 wars. The conflict in which he served, Operation Enduring Freedom, formally concluded in December 2014.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan, began in October 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.
