SSG William R. Neil, Jr.

21 March 2008, Afghanistan

Special Forces

A native of Holmdel, New Jersey, Staff Sergeant William R. Neil, Jr. died on 21 March 2008 in Sperwan Ghar, Afghanistan, while supporting Operation ENDURING FREEDOM.

Neil enlisted in the Army as a Supply Specialist in 1998. He was initially assigned to 4th Ranger Training Battalion, Fort Benning, Georgia, and was a graduate of the Army Ranger School. In 2006 he completed the Special Forces Qualification Course at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

SSG Neil was assigned as a Communications Sergeant in 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, when he sustained fatal wounds from an Improvised Explosive Device.