Staff Sergeant Tony B. Olaes was killed on September 20, 2004. The 30-year-old Special Forces combat medic was in Shkin, Afghanistan, supporting his country in Operation Enduring Freedom when enemy forces using small arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades ambushed his patrol vehicle. Staff Sergeant Olaes was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Family and friends gathered on September 29, 2004, to honor their beloved hero at the Sandifer Funeral Home Chapel in Westminster, South Carolina, followed by burial services with full military honors at Heritage Memorial Gardens.