Cahir was killed during Eastern Resolve II , a pre-dawn offensive operation in Helmand Province 's Now Zad district . Much of the August 12 , 2009 operation focused on controlling the Taliban-held town of Dananeh . Once a city of 30,000 , more than three years of fighting had previously reduced the town ’s population to an estimated 2,000 . Eastern Resolve II involved approximately 400 U.S. Marines and 100 Afghan troops and was intended to cut militant trade and supply lines , and to allow local residents to vote in the August 20 2009 Afghan presidential election . According to a family spokesperson , Cahir was shot in the neck while Marines entering the town encountered machine gun and small arms fire . The Associated Press also reported that fighting in Dananeh lasted more than eight hours , but that , by late morning , Marines prepared to conduct the first-ever NATO patrol in Marine-controlled portions of the town , in order to " reach out to civilians possibly huddled in their homes as sporadic but fierce outbursts of intense gunfire continued ... " . Cahir was working as a Washington , D.C.-based correspondent for Newhouse News Service when he notably joined the Marines in November 2003 at age 34 — a move that required requesting an exception to the service 's age-restrictions . He cited a long-held interest in military service as well as the September 11 attacks as motivations for his enlistment and subsequently wrote a first-person essay regarding his boot camp experience . His military awards included the Bronze Star Medal for his service in Afghanistan , three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals , and two Combat Action Ribbons . He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart in September 2009 . A memorial fund was established to pay for the family ’s needs at Bill Cahir Memorial Fund , Box 268 , Alexandria , Virginia 22313
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Bill Cahir