Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Knauss

Army Staff Sergeant Ryan Christian Knauss, 23, of Corryton, Tennessee, served with Bravo Company, 9th Psychological Operations Battalion (Airborne), 8th Psychological Operations Group, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. He was killed on August 26, 2021, when an ISIS-K suicide bomber attacked Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. He was helping evacuate Americans and vulnerable Afghan civilians.

SSG Knauss participated in JROTC at Gibbs High School in Corryton and graduated in May 2016. He enlisted shortly thereafter, completed infantry and airborne training at Fort Benning and became a paratrooper. He initially served as a gunner with the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment. He later retrained as a psychological operations sergeant.

SSG Knauss volunteered immediately when his unit received the evacuation mission. His battalion commander recalled him saying, “I will go—send me.” Lieutenant General Jonathan Braga remembered his maturity, trustworthiness, constant smile and ability to make everyone around him better.

SSG Knauss was survived by his wife, parents and brother.