Smith, Paul Gene

Staff Sgt. Paul Gene Smith was a member of the Illinois Army National Guard, assigned to Troop C, 2nd Squadron, 106th Cavalry Regiment, based in Aurora. His unit was deployed to Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001.

According to the Department of Defense, Smith died on June 19, 2009, from wounds sustained during a hostile incident in Kandahar City. The province was a major center of insurgent activity at the time, and U.S. and allied forces were engaged in intense counterinsurgency operations.

Smith was 43 years old at the time of his death. A resident of East Peoria, Illinois, he was one of the older non-commissioned officers to die in the conflict that year. His unit, the 106th Cavalry, had a history of deployments to various global theaters, including the Philippines and the Horn of Africa.

Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan concluded in December 2014. Smith's death occurred more than five years before the mission's formal end, during a period of escalating violence as U.S. troop levels increased. His loss was recorded among the more than 2,300 American service members who died during the operation.

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.

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