Soufrine, Eric Daniel

Also known as: PFC, 4-42 FA, 1-4 ID, TF RAIDER

Combatant

Male Verified

DiedJune 14, 2011

Age20 years old

Location of DeathFOB FARAH, AFGHANISTAN

Cause of DeathHostile enemy action

Conflict Operation Enduring Freedom

Private First Class Eric Daniel Soufrine, 20, of Woodbridge, Connecticut, served with the U.S. Army's 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Task Force Raider. He died on June 14, 2011,

Their Story

Eric Daniel Soufrine was a 20-year-old soldier from Woodbridge, Connecticut. He served as a Private First Class in the U.S. Army, assigned to the 4th Battalion, 42nd Field Artillery Regiment, part of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, operating under the designation Task Force Raider.

His unit deployed to Afghanistan in 2011 as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led military campaign that began in October 2001. The mission for many units at that time involved training and advising Afghan security forces, a cornerstone of the strategy to transition security responsibilities.

Soufrine died on June 14, 2011, at Forward Operating Base Farah in Afghanistan's western Farah Province. The Department of Defense stated his death was the result of hostile enemy action, though specific details of the incident were not widely disclosed in public reports.

His death occurred during a period of intense fighting, even as U.S. forces began a gradual drawdown following a troop surge. The long-term viability of the Afghan forces being trained was a subject of ongoing military and political assessment at the time.

Soufrine was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and other service medals. He is remembered by his community in Connecticut, where local officials honored his service.

The conflict in which he served, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, concluded as a defined U.S. combat mission in December 2014, though a smaller NATO-led training mission continued.