Shero, Anissa Ann

Staff Sgt. Anissa Ann Shero was a loadmaster assigned to the 15th Special Operations Squadron, based at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The squadron operates the MC-130H Combat Talon II, an aircraft used for clandestine infiltration and resupply of special operations forces.

Shero died on June 12, 2002, during a mission in eastern Afghanistan. The operation took place approximately 35 miles east of Gardez in Paktia province, a region where U.S. and allied forces were engaged against Taliban and al-Qaeda remnants.

According to U.S. Department of Defense records, she was killed in action. The specific circumstances of the mission and the engagement that led to her death were detailed in military releases at the time, which reported it as a result of enemy fire during a combat operation.

Her death occurred during the first phase of Operation Enduring Freedom, eight months after the U.S.-led invasion began. The conflict, aimed at dismantling al-Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power, would continue for over a decade after her loss.

Shero was 31 years old. A native of Grafton, West Virginia, she was survived by her husband, who was also an Air Force staff sergeant. Her funeral was held at Arlington National Cemetery.

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

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