Skip main navigation

Military Health System

Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene

Emergency procedures are in place in multiple states due to Hurricane Milton & Hurricane Helene. >>Learn More

Skip subpage navigation

MHS Honors and RemembersMHS Honors and Remembers logo

Merideth L. Howard

Merideth L. Howard

Died: September 8, 2006

Rank: Sergeant First Class

Unit: 364th Civil Affairs Brigade, U.S. Army Reserve

Branch: U.S. Army

Sergeant First Class Merideth L. Howard died September 8, 2006, in Kabul, Afghani­stan, when a car bomb exploded near the Humvee in which she was riding as the gunner. At 52 years old, she was the oldest U.S. female casualty of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the oldest American woman to die in combat in U.S. history. She was assigned to the 364th Civil Affairs Brigade in support of the 10th Mountain Division, acting as a liaison between the Afghan people and the military in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Her husband scattered her ashes in two firework displays.

Back to MHS Honors and Remembers
Last Updated: July 11, 2023
Follow us on Instagram Follow us on LinkedIn Follow us on Facebook Follow us on X Follow us on YouTube Sign up on GovDelivery