Spicer, David Shane

Gunnery Sergeant David Shane Spicer was a 33-year-old Marine from Zanesfield, Ohio, a village of fewer than 250 residents. He served with the 8th Engineer Support Battalion, Combat Logistics Regiment 2, part of the 2nd Marine Logistics Group based at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. His unit was deployed in support of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade in southern Afghanistan.

In July 2009, U.S. and allied forces were engaged in a major offensive, Operation Khanjar, in Helmand province. The operation aimed to clear Taliban strongholds and improve security ahead of Afghan elections. The region was a center of the insurgency and heavily seeded with improvised explosive devices.

Spicer died on July 13, 2009, in the Delhi area of Helmand province. The Department of Defense announced his death the following day, stating he was killed while supporting combat operations. His death occurred during the initial, intense phase of the Marine-led offensive.

By 2009, the war in Afghanistan had entered a period of escalating violence. Casualty figures for U.S. forces that year reached their highest level since the conflict began in 2001. The increased use of IEDs by insurgent forces became the leading cause of coalition deaths.

Gunnery Sergeant Spicer was one of at least four U.S. service members killed in hostile incidents across Afghanistan on July 13, 2009. His death was reported by multiple news agencies as part of the regular casualty reporting from the war zone.

He was survived by his wife and children. Funeral services were held in his home state of Ohio, where he was remembered by his community and fellow Marines.

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.

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