Sparks, Orion Nelson
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Verified Staff Sergeant Orion Nelson Sparks, 29, of Tucson, Arizona, was a U.S. Army paratrooper assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. He died on September 26, 2012, in Pul-e Alam, Afghanistan, of w
Their Story
Staff Sergeant Orion Nelson Sparks was a 29-year-old soldier from Tucson, Arizona. He served with Troop A, 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment (Airborne), part of the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team based at Conn Barracks in Schweinfurt, Germany. According to the U.S. Department of Defense, his unit was deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On September 26, 2012, SSG Sparks was killed in Pul-e Alam, the capital of Logar Province in eastern Afghanistan. The Department of Defense announced his death the following day, stating he died of wounds suffered in a hostile incident. No further operational details of the event were publicly released.
SSG Sparks's death occurred during the later years of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. Logar Province was an area of significant insurgent activity, and U.S. forces there were engaged in training Afghan national security forces and conducting counterinsurgency operations.
His military service included previous deployments to the Philippines and the Horn of Africa, in addition to his tour in Afghanistan. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, and Meritorious Service Medal.
The conflict in which he served, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, formally concluded in December 2014. SSG Sparks is one of more than 2,400 U.S. service members who died during that operation.
He is survived by his wife, parents, and siblings. Memorial services were held in both Germany and Arizona.
Explore Further
Operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S.-led combat mission in Afghanistan, 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.
