Hero Card 145, Card Pack 13
Photo provided by the family
Hometown: Paducah, KY
Branch: U.S. Marine Corps
Unit: 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Marine Special Operations Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command
Military Honors: Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Heart (2), Navy-Marine Corps Commendation Medal (3) with Combat V
Date of Sacrifice: February 15, 2014 - KIA in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Age: 36
Conflict: War in Afghanistan, 2001-2021
Aaron Torian was born in Paducah, Kentucky, along the Ohio River border with the State of Illinois. His family moved briefly to Waldorf, Maryland—just outside of Washington D.C.—where he attended Thomas Stone High School, graduating in 1995.
Torian was a standout student and athlete, playing both baseball and football. His football abilities earned him a full scholarship to the University of Tennessee at Martin, where in 2001 he earned his bachelor’s degree in Health and Human Performance.
He pursued a master’s degree at Tennessee Tech in Cookeville and satisfied his love for football as a graduate assistant coach for Tech’s Golden Eagles. Torian met his wife Jurley (Pomeroy) while at Tennessee Tech and graduated in December 2002 with his master’s in Instructional Leadership.
The couple would later welcome three children: Elijah, Avery, and Laura Bella.
In March of 2003, Torian joined the U.S. Marine Corps as an infantryman. He completed the Basic Reconnaissance Course and was assigned to 2nd Reconnaissance Battalion, 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune in Jacksonville, North Carolina. A man of faith, Torian was a member of College Acres Baptist Church in nearby Wilmington, North Carolina.
Torian rose through the ranks quickly. He was promoted from Lance Corporal to Sergeant in just four months.
According to journalist James K. Sanborn in Military Times, Torian was named the 2nd Marine Division’s 2005 noncommissioned officer of the year “following what his commanders called a stellar performance during Operation Phantom Fury—the brutal 2004 fight to wrest control of Fallujah, Iraq, from insurgent control.”
The distinction recognizes Marines who excel in job performance, physical fitness, and leadership skills. Sanborn adds, “He said he worked around the clock, learning every weapon system to effectively lead his five-man unit through the insurgent-riddled streets.”
Torian joined Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command (MARSOC) in 2006 and was promoted to Master Sergeant on September 1, 2013. He deployed twice in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and four times to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
On his sixth combat deployment, in October of 2013, MSgt. Torian was assigned as a team chief with Marine Special Operations Company Hotel, Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan.
Torian was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his actions on January 29, 2014. His citation reads:
Maneuvering across open terrain, he exposed himself to enemy fire in order to establish better satellite communications and observe the enemy’s maneuvers. He then effectively coordinated multiple rotary-wing close air support missions with rockets, guns, and a hellfire missile.
On February 15, 2014, Torian’s unit came under heavy machine gun fire and a grenade attack during a dismounted patrol in Helmand province, Afghanistan. MSgt. Torian was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). He was 36 years old.
MSgt. Aaron Carl Torian was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery (Section 60, Site 10582), across the Potomac River from Washington D.C.
Sources
Details and card photo submitted by Ms. Jurley Torian—MSgt. Torian’s Gold Star Wife
Family information provided by Folds of Honor Foundation
Marine Raider Foundation: Master Sergeant Aaron C. Torian
Daily Beast: A Man to Believe In: Eulogy for Marine Master Sergeant Aaron Torian
Military Times, Honor the Fallen: Marine Master Sgt. Aaron C. Torian
USMC: MARSOC Identifies Marine Casualty
Defense Visual Information Distribution Service: MARSOC Marine posthumously awarded Bronze Star for actions in Afghanistan
Thibadeau Mortuary Service: Obituary for Aaron Carl Torian
Burial Site: Find a Grave
