Jesse Aliganga

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Jesse Nathanael Aliganga
Died August 7, 1998
Jesse Aliganga
Place of death	Killed in Nairobi, Kenya
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Marine Corps
Years of service	1995–1998
Rank	Sergeant
Unit	Marine Security Guard, Nairobi, Kenya
Battles/wars	1998 United States embassy bombings
Awards	Purple Heart

Sergeant Jesse Nathanael Aliganga, a United States Marine Security Guard, was the only U.S. Marine killed in the 1998 Embassy bombing in Kenya.

Sergeant Aligana was serving at the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. On August 7, 1998, at the age of 21, Sergeant Aliganga was killed by a car-bomb explosion, along with eleven fellow Americans, in the terrorist attack. Sgt Aliganga was the only Marine who died in the attack in Kenya. This was part of a simultaneous massive terrorist attack in which car bombs were exploded at U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, killing 257 people and wounding over 4,000. The attack was later determined to be conducted by Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network.

Contents 1 Biography 2 See also 3 References 4 External links

[edit] Biography

Sergeant Aliganga attended high school in Tallahassee, Florida, graduating in 1994. In January 1995, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Sergeant Aliganga attended Marine Corps recruit training at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in Parris Island, South Carolina. Thereafter, he trained as a communication specialist at the Marine Air Ground Combat Center in 29 Palms, California and at the Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. After training, he was stationed with the 3rd Marine Division at the Marine Corps Base in Okinawa, Japan, followed by service with the 1st Force Service Support Group at Camp Pendleton.

In early January 1998, based on recommendations from his superiors, Sergeant Aliganga was sent to the elite Marine Security Guard School, in Quantico, Virginia. Upon completing the rigorous training, Sergeant Aliganga requested the American Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya. In late February 1998, his request was approved and he was assigned to one tour of special duty at the United States Embassy in Kenya, where he served until his untimely death on August 7, 1998.

Sergeant Aliganga was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. He is buried at the Arlington National Cemetery.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

• Historical Profile—Sgt Jesse Aliganga. Marine Embassy Guard Association. Retrieved on 2006-12-12.

• Jesse Nathanael Aliganga, Sergeant, United States Marine Corps. Arlington National Cemetery. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.

[edit] External links

• Aita, Judy (March 7, 2001). Victims Retell Horrors of Nairobi Embassy Bombing in Court. International Information Programs. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.

• Waldman, Amy. "Bombings in East Africa: The American Dead; Their Quiet Lives, Rendered Stark and Bold by the Manner of Their Deaths", New York Times, August 10, 1998, pp. Page A7. Retrieved on 2007-03-25.