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by Erin E. Thompson, USAICoE Staff Historian
BELOVED INTERROGATOR LOSES LIFE IN AFGHANISTAN
On Jun. 11, 2006, Cpl. Bernard P. Corpuz was killed in eastern Afghanistan while serving as an interrogator and debriefer in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM. His sacrifice has been memorialized in numerous ways since his death.
Born in California on Aug. 16, 1977, Bernard Corpuz grew up in Watsonville. He graduated from an all-boys Catholic prep school in 1995 and received an athletics scholarship to attend Hartnell College. He then attended the University of Laverne in southern California, where he graduated in 2003 with a degree in political science and a minor in history.
Corpuz enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 2004. After completing basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, he went on to attend the demanding six-month French Basic Course at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Monterey, California. He graduated at the top of his class in April 2005, after which he attended the interrogator course at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Trained as a human intelligence collector, Corporal Corpuz was assigned to the 303d MI Battalion, 504th MI Brigade, at Fort Hood, Texas (Fort Cavazos since 2023).
In December 2005, Corporal Corpuz deployed to Afghanistan with the 232d MI Company as an interrogator and debriefer at the Joint Interrogation Facility at Bagram Airfield and at a field detention site in Ghazni. On Jun. 11, 2006, Corpuz’s unit was performing village assessments in Ghazni when their convoy was hit by enemy small arms fire. In the ensuing firefight, Corpuz’s vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. The 28-year-old passed away in the arms of a Catholic chaplain. For his sacrifice, he was awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart. Lt. Col. Mark Hobart lamented his death, saying, “He had a lot of grit, and I like that about him. It saddens me when we lose people like that. We don’t have a lot of those people around.” His body was returned to the U.S. and buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2012, the DLIFLC honored Corporal Corpuz with the naming of Corpuz Hall, the Multi Language School, at their campus in Monterey. At the dedication ceremony, Corpuz was described as well-liked and friendly. U.S. Representative Sam Farr stated: “Corpuz contributed great value to the history of DLIFLC with his exemplary service as a translator, with his valiant actions as a Soldier, and by the very strength and positive energy of his personality and lifestyle.”
In 2014, the 309th MI Battalion named a training site after Corpuz at Fort Huachuca. Further memorials to his sacrifice included a recreation facility at Bagram Airfield and a tree planted in his name at the University of Laverne. Corporal Corpuz is honored on Fort Huachuca’s Military Intelligence Corps Memorial Wall.
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| Date Taken: | 06.06.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 06.06.2025 16:38 |
| Story ID: | 499904 |
| Location: | US |
| Web Views: | 77 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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