Death of Dave Sharrett II On 16 January 2008 , United States Army Private First Class Dave Sharrett II was killed during a battle with insurgents near Balad , Iraq during the Iraq War . Subsequent investigation determined Sharrett was shot a single time by his commanding officer , then - Lieutenant Timothy Hanson . David H . Sharrett II . David H . Sharrett II was born in Woodstock , Virginia in June 1980 , to David Sharrett Sr . , a local schoolteacher , and Kimberly Drummond . David Sharrett II ' s parents divorced early in his life , and he grew up around Oakton , Virginia , where he attended Oakton Elementary School , then Copper Intermediate School and Oakton High School . In high school , he played defensive end on the school ' s football team before graduating high school in 1999 . After graduation , Sharrett considered college but instead opted to work several odd jobs , telling his family he wasn ' t ready to continue his education . He worked as a bartender and a doorman in several local restaurants and bars until around 2005 . During this time , he met Heather Shell , whom he would later marry . He also attended some classes at Northern Virginia Community College , where he studied history and literature . Sharrett had considered joining the US military several times , twice beginning the process and backing out . However , Sharrett eventually enlisted in September 2006 , hoping to serve a three - year tour and then return home to complete a degree and become a history teacher . He married Shell in January 2007 , after returning from basic combat training , and the couple moved to Fort Campbell , Kentucky where Sharrett was assigned to the 1st Squadron , 32nd Cavalry Regiment , 1st Brigade Combat Team , 101st Airborne Division . His awards included the National Defense Service Medal , Global War on Terrorism Service Medal , Army Service Ribbon , and an Expert Marksman Badge with the M4 Carbine . He had volunteered for air assault school and airborne school as well . Sharret ' s unit was deployed to northern Iraq in September 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom . Initially the unit was based near the border with Iran to interdict weapons smuggling across the border . Later it was based at Forward Operating Base Paliwoda near Balad . Sharrett and his father stayed in constant contact throughout the deployment . In the days leading up to his death , Sharrett had indicated displeasure with the post , reportedly telling his father during a conversation , " We ' re doing too much stupid stuff . I want out of the infantry . " Incident . On 16 January 2008 , Sharrett was part of an 8 - man patrol participating in Operation Hood Harvest near the village of Bichigan , north of Baghdad . The allied coalition had discovered that the insurgent group al - Qaeda in Iraq was using the region to equip suicide bombers . Sharrett ' s seven - man squad , led by Staff Sergeant Chris McGraw , was joined by First Lieutenant Timothy Hanson , the company executive officer , who was to direct communications with the squad ' s air support . Designated " Team 6 , " this team was to patrol in two UH - 60 Black Hawk helicopters for any insurgents active past the local curfew . Shortly before 05 : 00 local time , overhead observers spotted six men running single file through a palm groove outside of town . The six men , apparently unarmed , sprinted across a field before taking cover in an oval - shaped thicket of branches and vines , as observed by nearby helicopters and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle s . At 05 : 07 , Team 6 disembarked from its helicopters , equipped with night vision device s , as there was no ambient light and conditions were reportedly pitch black . They were also equipped with infrared flashing lights visible only though night vision , which serve as IFF tags . However , neither McGraw nor Hanson ordered the team to turn the IFF tags on , and five of the eight did not do so . In the meantime , the six insurgents apparently armed themselves with AK - 47 s and grenades which had been concealed in a hidden cache in the thicket , laying down and keeping still . At 05 : 15 , Team 6 approached the brush and surrounded it , with four men on each side , and called into the brush for the insurgents to come out . One minute later , an insurgent shouted " Allahu Akbar ! " from inside the brush before the concealed insurgents opened fire on the surrounding Team 6 . Both McGraw and Specialist Raphael Collins , positioned next to Sharrett , were immediately wounded in the shoulder . On the west side of the brush , corporal John Sigsbee was shot and mortally wounded , while private first class Danny Kimme was shot in the head and killed as he attempted to get into a prone position . At this time , Hanson radioed the helicopter that they were under attack as Sharrett sprinted to the west side of the thicket and took up a position next to Sigsbee , remaining quiet and still approximately from the brush as the insurgents continued to fire their weapons out of it . At 05 : 20 , Sharrett stood up and ran toward Hanson ' s position and away from the brush , firing over his shoulder and apparently striking an insurgent . At this point , he and Hanson were concealed from the view of overhead helicopters by trees , but when they reemerged 5 seconds later Sharrett was seen writhing on the ground and Hanson running away from the position . At 06 : 03 , another US force of sniper s and infantry called Team 4 arrived , encountering the remains of Team 6 . Hanson stated he did not know where Sharrett , Sigsbee , or Kimme were . Team 4 then lined up for a methodical assault on the brush , discovering Sigsbee and Kimme ' s bodies in the process . One minute later , a UH - 60 landed north of the thicket , and the wounded McGraw and Collins climbed onboard along with the unwounded Hanson . The helicopter then flew to a combat support hospital in Balad , where McGraw and Collins disembarked . Hanson refused to disembark , and instead rode in the helicopter back to FOB Paliwoda where he returned to his quarters without briefing commanders . In the meantime , Team 4 called in close air support and overhead Black Hawk helicopters attacked the brush with machine guns until at 06 : 10 it was discovered that the six insurgents were dead . The team then began searching for Sharrett but was unable to find him . At 06 : 35 , the team shot a flare airborne and discovered Sharrett in a brush , with a faint pulse . The team members attempted CPR and eventually called in a Medevac . Sharrett was evacuated to FOB Paliwoda at 06 : 50 and pronounced dead at 07 : 50 . Aftermath . Sharrett was the 3 , 595th servicemember of the United States to be killed in the Iraq War . Sharrett was buried in Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington , Virginia . On 23 April 2008 , the United States House of Representatives passed a resolution naming the post office in Oakton the " Private First Class David H . Sharrett II Post Office Building . " Congressman Danny K . Davis of Illinois introduced the measure . In an unusual move , US President Barack Obama visited Sharrett ' s grave site on Veterans Day 2009 during a tour of the cemetery , meeting David Sharrett Sr . on this visit . Initial reports . On 19 January 2008 , the survivors in Team 6 were ordered to write reports detailing the incident . In his statement , Hanson said he hit the ground as the shooting started and fired six to 10 shots at the thicket , and then stated he saw Sharrett and Sigsbee " lying face down no more than 10 feet from the enemy position . " Hanson stated he heard one of the soldiers state they were hit , but was unable to reach them because of insurgent fire , and so he broke contact and moved away . Hanson did not mention firing his weapon after the initial attack , and provided detailed accounts of the locations of the squad , contradicting statements the Team 4 troops made indicating Hanson had been unable to provide their location . In a second report on 25 January , Hanson gave more detail on the incident but did not mention shooting anyone . In subsequent reports , Hanson repeatedly denied shooting or identifying anyone . In the meantime , the US military reported on 18 January that Sharrett , Sigsbee and Kimme were killed in a grenade attack , withholding specifics of the incident .