Santos, Dave Michael Maliksi
Male
Verified Corporal Dave Michael Maliksi Santos, 21, of Rota, MP, was a U.S. Marine with 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines, based at Camp Lejeune, NC. He was killed in action in Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 16, 2010.
Their Story
Dave Michael Maliksi Santos was a 21-year-old Marine from the village of Rota in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth in the western Pacific. He served as an active-duty infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, part of the 2nd Marine Division based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. In 2010, his unit deployed to Afghanistan as part of Regimental Combat Team 7 under the I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), operating in the volatile Helmand province.
Santos's death occurred during a period of intense combat operations following a major U.S. troop surge. The surge, ordered in late 2009, aimed to reverse Taliban momentum and improve security in key population centers, particularly in southern Afghanistan. Helmand province, a Taliban stronghold and center of opium production, saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
On July 16, 2010, Corporal Santos was killed in action. According to the Department of Defense casualty announcement, he died while conducting combat operations in Helmand. No further specifics regarding the exact circumstances of the engagement were released in initial reports. His death was recorded by the Marine Corps on that date.
Santos was one of 499 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan in 2010, the deadliest year of the conflict for international forces. The 2nd Battalion, 6th Marines sustained multiple casualties during its 2010 deployment. The war, Operation Enduring Freedom, had begun in October 2001 following the September 11 attacks.
His death was noted in news archives and casualty lists. Memorials for service members from the Northern Mariana Islands, including Santos, are maintained by local veterans' organizations. The conflict in which he fought, Operation Enduring Freedom, 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.
