Smith, Edward Bernard
Male
Verified U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Edward Bernard Smith, 30, of Homestead, Florida, was killed in hostile action on September 24, 2009, in Omar Zai, Afghanistan. He was assigned to Company B, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade
Their Story
Staff Sergeant Edward Bernard Smith was a soldier in the United States Army. He served with Company B, 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, part of the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Lewis, Washington. His service included deployments to the Philippines, the Horn of Africa, and Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On September 24, 2009, Smith was operating in the district of Omar Zai in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar Province. The area was a known insurgent stronghold. According to U.S. military reports, his unit was engaged in a firefight with enemy forces.
Smith, 30, was killed during that engagement. The Department of Defense listed the cause as hostile fire. His death was one of several suffered by the 5th Stryker Brigade during a difficult 2009-2010 deployment marked by intense combat and improvised explosive devices.
He was from Homestead, Florida. The Army posthumously awarded him the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart. Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military intervention in Afghanistan that began in October 2001, concluded in December 2014.
Smith's death is recorded among the more than 2,300 American service members who died during the conflict in Afghanistan. His unit, the 5th Stryker Brigade, was later redesignated as the 2nd Stryker Brigade.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. military intervention 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.
