Trevor Yurista was born to be a leader. From a young age, his determination and unwavering sense of duty were evident to those who knew him. He graduated from Arlington High School in upstate New York, as well as the Dutchess Community College and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Trevor was a talented young man, who would have excelled in any career field. He wasn’t born for an office life, however, and he joined the Marine Corps in 2005.
Captain Yurista was smart and tough, with a rebellious streak and a thirst for adventure. This combination of traits made him an ideal candidate for service in the Marine Corps. He did very well at the Basic Officer Course and earned his way into the highly competitive Ground Intelligence Officer military specialty. This is a highly competitive field, where Marines are required to graduate from both the intelligence and infantry training pipelines before arriving at their first units.
Trevor’s first unit was the 5th Marine Regiment at Camp Pendleton, California. He deployed to Iraq twice with 5th Marines and was nearing the end of his tour there. Trevor was scheduled to take orders to the supporting establishment, but he heard about a crisis emerging in Afghanistan and volunteered for a third combat deployment.
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan asked the Marine Corps to deploy a battalion to the Helmand Province in 2008 to help develop the Afghan National Police there. Reports out of Kandahar indicated that the region was largely pacified and ready for transition to host nation security forces. This was not the reality that 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines encountered on the ground. The Marines deployed into a maelstrom of Taliban activity. Brave young Marines held their ground against thousands of enemy fighters who swarmed their small expeditionary outposts. Against all odds, 2/7 stood victorious on the battlefield but it came at a steep cost. The 1st Marine Division asked for volunteers to help reinforce this beleaguered battalion with combat replacements. 1st Lieutenant Yurista was one of the first to raise his hand.
Trevor arrived to Afghanistan and assumed duties in Task Force 2/7’s intelligence section. His infantry experience, and ground intelligence training made him an excellent analyst, but he wanted to take a more active role in supporting combat operations. He saw an opportunity more suited for his skillsets and volunteered to serve as the targeting officer for the Force Recon Platoon deployed in direct support of TF 2/7. It didn’t take long for him to make an impact. He determined that the Taliban were operating a large Improvised Explosive Device (IED) factory in a town called Bar NowZad. This was a particularly nasty IED cell that manufactured low metallic IEDs that the Marines in the NowZad district could not detect with their mine detectors. It was imperative to neutralize this factory by whatever means necessary.
An air strike was the obvious answer to this problem, but the rules of engagement required a human observer to mitigate civilian casualties. This was not an easy task. Bar NowZad sat deep inside the NowZad Valley. The town of NowZad sat at the opening of the valley and served as a gatekeeper that controlled access to the north. NowZad used to host a large bazaar and served as a major economic hub for the district. In 2007, however, the Taliban forced the 10,000 inhabitants to evacuate and established fighting positions in the town to control the valley.
The Taliban used Bar NowZad, approximately 20 kilometers north of NowZad, as their staging and support base to resource their operations in the NowZad Valley. The route to Bar NowZad was fraught with IEDs and hundreds of enemy fighters laying in ambush. The town itself was heavily defended with prepared fighting positions and extensive minefields. No coalition forces had ever penetrated the enemy defenses north of NowZad to reach Bar NowZad before. Destroying an IED factory there seemed an impossible task.
Lieutenant Yurista helped the Force Recon Platoon generate a plan to sneak around the Taliban defenses around NowZad and travel unseen through a large wadi (ravine) that ran between the two towns. It was a bold plan, with significant risks. Bar NowZad sat outside the range of both artillery and medevac support. The Special Operations Task Force in Helmand declined the mission. The Force Recon Platoon did not. Trevor, knowing the risks, volunteered to accompany the platoon on the mission so he could help guide them to the target.
The platoon departed the NowZad District Center at three in the morning and crept past the Taliban forward line of enemy troops. Their transit through the ravine system was uneventful and the Marines could see the shipping containers of the IED factory in Bar NowZad as the sun started to crest the horizon. The sound of rocket fire broke the early morning silence. The Taliban fighters bracketed the platoon with volleys of RPGs, 130mm rockets, and SPG-9 fire.
Lt Yurista located the IED factory, and the Recon Marines bravely clawed their way through the withering barrage of enemy fire to destroy the CONEX boxes containing the IEDs and neutralize the IED makers. The mission was a resounding success. The operation would not be complete, however, until the Marines returned to the NowZad District Center. The platoon originally intended to exfiltrate through the mountains but the rocket fire disabled one of the HMMWVs and they could not make the transit towing a vehicle. The Marines had no choice but to fight their way back through the NowZad valley, where hundreds of Taliban fighters swarmed to attack the platoon.
The situation in NowZad was dire but the Marines maintained good spirits. Their ammunition stores dwindled but Taliban casualties soared as the platoon fought their way south through the valley. Sections of AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters bravely exposed themselves to vicious enemy fire to cover the Marines on the ground and facilitate their exfiltration. The dangerous push south was grueling but the Force Recon Marines defied all odds to route Taliban defenses at Kenjak Olya and Kenjak Sofla with minimal friendly casualties. The end was now in sight. There were only two major Taliban defensive positions remaining between the Marines and the district center.
The platoon tried to avoid the Taliban defenses at Shaykh Zai but were pulled into the town by an IED initiated ambush that wounded several Marines, including Lieutenant Yurista. His team was pinned down in the kill zone and the rest of the Marines could not reach them because of the heavy fire from Shaykh Zai. The rest of the platoon surged into the town and brutally destroyed the Taliban defenses there at close quarters. They recovered the Marines from the kill zone and asked for an immediate medevac, but this request was denied.
Our platoon viciously cut their way through the rest of the defenses at Shaykh Zai and Nowzad to reach the landing zone at the district center before Yurista died. We covered the distance at an impossible pace given the amount of enemy resistance but not fast enough to save his life.
We ate our MREs in silence that night. I stayed in the chow facility for a few minutes after my platoon departed to process the day’s events. A young Marine from Fox Company 2/7 saw me there and walked up to me. He shook my hand and thanked us for destroying the IED factory. Our operation gave these young Marines some hope that they would survive their deployment. This is Trevor’s legacy. He sacrificed his life so that more Marines in Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines would come home alive.
The Marine Corps promoted Lieutenant Yurista to Captain posthumously and awarded him the Purple Heart and the Navy Commendation Medal for valor. The Director for National Intelligence awarded him with the National Intelligence Medal for Valor.
Trevor’s life was marked by a profound sense of responsibility and honor, qualities that defined his character and made him the remarkable person we all knew and loved. Capt Yurista’s legacy will live on in the stories we share, the memories we cherish, and the love we carry in our hearts. He exemplified the values of selflessness, bravery, and dedication. He showed us that one person can make a difference.
Trevor Yurista may have left this world too soon, but his memory will live on in the hearts of those who knew him. We honor his legacy today with gratitude for his service, and appreciation for his sacrifice.
Rest in peace, Captain Trevor Yurista. We will never forget you. Semper Fidelis my friend.
Broadsword6 sends
This site is free for everyone to learn about information warfare, connect with mentors, and seek the high ground! Unfortunately operating the site is not free and your donations are appreciated to keep KTC up and running.
2 responses to “In Memory of Captain Trevor Yurista”
Thank you for this! I didn’t know these details until now. Trevor and I served together on our first Fallujah deployment. We kept in touch until he went to Afghanistan. You described him perfectly.
Thank you for your comment, he was a remarkable Marine and made an impact on everyone in our platoon – Editor