Kristoffer Domeij

Born in Santa Ana, California, he graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School in 2001 and enlisted in the U.S. Army in July, 2001.[10]

After graduating from the Ranger Indoctrination Program (RIP), Domeij was assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in 2002 where he served as a Forward Observer. He also served in Headquarters and Headquarters Company as a Reconnaissance Joint Terminal Attack Controller and B Company as the Fire Support Noncommissioned Officer, and again in HHC as the Battalion Fires Support Noncommissioned Officer.[10]

He served for ten years. The 14 deployments he had were extraordinary, both in quantity and quality. That he was cut down with his experience inflicted a loss and a psychological trauma on his unit members.[7]

The San Diego-born Domeij was the married father of two daughters. "Assuming an average deployment length of seven months—Army deployments are seldom shorter than that, and usually much longer—he probably spent at least 8 of his 29 years overseas, waging America’s wars."[7]

Perishing along with him was Lieutenant Ashley White, 24, a cultural support specialist, and Pvt. 1st Class Christopher Horns, 20, who was on his first war tour. This reflects the mix of the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Team members "special operators appear shaken by their loss." A former Ranger commented online: "A young line Ranger on his first deployment, a seasoned [leadership] Ranger on his 14th and a female Officer as part of the overall assault force. Things have certainly taken a turn for the surreal." Another trenchantly added: "2nd Batt is not having a good rotation."[7]

The relevant factors are not just length and frequency of deployments for special operators. Quantity and quality intersection making this especially intense. As Mother Jones noted: "... as members of the SPECOPS community, Rangers handle their deployments differently from regular Army and Marine line units. By his estimation, Sgt. 1st Class Domeij likely spent closer to four or more years in the war zones, not including pre- and post-deployment training. And as our reader points out, it’s not just the time you do, but what you do in that time: The 75th Ranger Regiment typically deploys on 105-day deployments, i.e. a little longer than three months. What they lack in calendar length is made up in intensity: they typically conduct an operation every single night of their deployments with few exceptions. That someone has been deployed 14 times is mortifying and sad, especially in this case, but I do not believe there is anyone in the Army who has been deployed for eight out of the last 10 years."[7]

At 14 deployments, SFC Domeij holds the record for the Soldier with the most deployments to be killed in action.[3] The previous record was 12. A Ranger battalion typically "conducts an incredible 400 - 500 missions during a combat deployment."[8] Rangers are among the Army's most elite special operations forces. Domeij was one of the soldiers who helped rescue Private First Class Jessica Lynch in Iraq in 2003. Domeij was also one of the first US Army ground soldiers qualified to coordinate Air Force and Navy air attacks as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller.[3] He was one of three soldiers killed by a roadside bomb near Kandahar Province on October 22, 2011.[3]

He was one of the first Rangers to be qualified as a Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC).[6] Ordinarily that is a position "reserved for Air Force airmen who serve with ground combat units and call in airstrikes from fighters or bombers flying overhead."[3]

Colonel Mark W. Odom, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, Odom offered a succinct testimonial saying that Domeij was "the prototypical special operations NCO" whose abilities as a JTAC "made him a game changer on the battlefield—an operator who in real terms had the value of an entire strike force on the battlefield."[3] Echoing that sentiment, Battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel David Hodne said: "This was a Ranger you wanted at your side when the chips were down... He is irreplaceable - in our formation and in our hearts."[8] is unique. In Domeij's case, that translates to a man whom his unit commander described as "irreplaceable" – on the battlefield and in life. Hodne also said, "He was one of those men who known by all as much for his humor, enthusiasm and loyal friendship as he was for his unparalleled skill and bravery under fire."[11] Colonel Odom said he was "the prototypical special operations" leader whose special skills—he was one of the first soldiers qualified to coordinate Air Force and Navy air attacks from his ground position—made him a hot commodity in the war zones. Domeij, he said, was a "veteran of a decade of deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan and hundreds of combat missions."[7]

According to Jeff Carpenter, his former football coach, Domeij would not have been pleased being in the spotlight, even upon his death. But "the recognition is well-deserved. ... Some of this attention would probably bother (Domeij), because he felt he was a guy doing his job, which he believed in," the coach said. "But these guys are heroes."[11]

In 2019, filmmaker Devin Graham traveled to Normandy with a team of Special Forces soldiers, veterans, and Scoti Domeij, the mother of Kristoffer Domeij, to honor the 75th anniversary of D-Day. The film honored the life of Kristoffer Domeij and debuted on Veterans Day 2019.[12]

The Joint Fires Observer classroom building at Fort Sill is named in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij.[6]

• Kristoffer Diomeij at Find a Grave