Shoecraft, Justin Blue
Male
Verified U.S. Army Specialist Justin Blue Shoecraft, 28, of Elkhart, Indiana, was killed in action on August 24, 2010, in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. He served with Company B, 1st Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany.
Their Story
Specialist Justin Blue Shoecraft was a soldier in the United States Army, assigned to the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. The unit, based in Vilseck, Germany, deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001.
On August 24, 2010, Shoecraft was serving in Uruzgan province. The provincial capital, Tarin Kowt, was a focal point for coalition and Afghan forces operating in the region. Insurgent activity in the area was persistent.
According to U.S. Department of Defense casualty reports, Specialist Shoecraft died from wounds sustained during a hostile incident. The official release listed his cause of death as hostile fire. He was 28 years old.
His death was recorded among the more than 1,400 U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan in 2010, a year that marked the conflict's highest annual death toll. Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan formally concluded in December 2014.
Shoecraft was a native of Elkhart, Indiana. Public remembrances and casualty lists note his service included deployments not only to Afghanistan, but also to the Philippines and the Horn of Africa.
The Army posthumously awarded Specialist Shoecraft the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other commendations. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the National Infantry Museum in Georgia.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. 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.
