Aaron Eli Fairbairn was born in February 1989 and was raised in Central Park, Washington. From a young age, Fairbairn liked to keep busy. He worked at Papa Murphy’s Pizza and at Whitney’s Auto Group as a parking lot attendant. He was also a paperboy at 13 and was awarded “Paper Carrier of the Year Award” during his time at The Daily World. As a Boy Scout, he learned to love the outdoors, and also enjoyed riding dirt bikes.
In 2007, Fairbairn graduated from Aberdeen High School. Six months later, in January 2008, he enlisted into the Army. He joined the 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Richardson, Alaska. In the summer 2009, he deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.
On July, 4, 2009, Fairbairn was injured and killed from a Taliban VBIED at Combat Outpost Zerok in Paktika, Afghanistan. He was scheduled to return home that September.
We honor his service.
Nominate a Veteran
Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? VA’s “Honoring Veterans” social media spotlight is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.
It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission
Writer: Ashley Squillace
Editors: Tayler Rairigh, Cate Manning
Researcher: Christopher Rosenquist
Graphic Designer: Kaylie Ferguson
Topics in this story
Link Disclaimer
This page includes links to other websites outside our control and jurisdiction. VA is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of non-VA Web sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policy or terms and conditions of those sites to fully understand what information is collected and how it is used.
More Stories
In honor of National Park Service's National Park Week, this week's Honoring Veterans spotlight honors the service of Army Veteran Michael Trevino, who today works as a facility manager at Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Navy Veteran Ken Mattingly, who served as a pilot during the 1950s and later became an astronaut during the Apollo missions.
This week’s Honoring Veterans Spotlight honors the service of Air Force Veteran Gavino Cavazos, who served from 1949 to 1973 during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars.
