Saenz, Jose Luis Iii

Sgt. Jose Luis Saenz III was killed in action on August 9, 2010, while serving in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 11th Marines, a field artillery regiment operating as part of Regimental Combat Team 2, I Marine Expeditionary Force Forward. The unit was based out of Camp Pendleton, California.

In the summer of 2010, Helmand province was the focal point of a major coalition offensive, Operation Enduring Freedom. U.S. Marine forces, alongside allied troops, conducted sustained counterinsurgency operations in districts like Sangin, Marjah, and Nahr-e Saraj, where Taliban fighters were deeply entrenched.

According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Saenz died of wounds sustained from hostile enemy action. No further specifics regarding the incident were released in initial announcements. His death was recorded among the more than 1,100 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan that year.

Saenz was a native of Pleasanton, Texas, a small city south of San Antonio. Public records and memorial listings indicate he was 30 years old at the time of his death. His service occurred during the ninth year of the war in Afghanistan, a period marked by a significant troop surge aimed at stabilizing key regions.

The conflict in which he served, Operation Enduring Freedom, formally concluded in December 2014, transitioning to the follow-on mission, Operation Freedom's Sentinel. Saenz's death is documented among the over 2,400 American military fatalities that occurred during the Operation Enduring Freedom period.

Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led 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.

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