Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan ( February 12 , 1987 – August 6 , 2007 ) was an American U.S. Army Specialist who died in Operation Iraqi Freedom . He received the Bronze Star and a Purple Heart for his service . He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery . The son of Feroze Khan of New Jersey and Elsheba Khan of Maryland , Khan was a 2005 graduate from Southern Regional High School in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township , New Jersey . Khan was assigned to the 1st Battalion , 23rd Infantry Regiment , 3rd Brigade , 2nd Infantry Division ( Stryker Brigade Combat Team ) , based in Fort Lewis , Washington . According to the '' Gannett News Service , '' he was " spurred by the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and wanted to show that not all Muslims were fanatics and that many , like him , were willing to lay their lives down for their country , America . He enlisted immediately after graduation and was sent to Iraq in July 2006 . " Khan and three other soldiers were killed when a bomb exploded while they were clearing a house . He was 20 years old . He was promoted posthumously to the rank of corporal . His service was cited during an October 2008 interview on '' Meet the Press '' with General Colin Powell . In particular , Powell referred to a photograph in '' The New Yorker '' which showed Khan 's mother by his gravestone in Arlington National Cemetery . Powell said Khan 's example refutes the anti-Muslim sentiment present in the Republican campaign during the 2008 U.S. Presidential election ( q.v. ) , namely that being Muslim disqualifies a person from being a genuine , patriotic American , or that a Muslim could not become President
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan