Kyle Milliken was 38 years old when he died in Somalia on May 5. Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Milliken was a Navy Seal. His special warfare unit was shepherding a unit of Somali forces in helicopters to where the Somalis would carry out a raid on al-Shabab militants.

Al-Shabab is an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group that controls part of Somalia and has carried out bloody attacks in Kenya, including a 2015 massacre of Christian students. As Milliken’s unit hung back from the raid, they were attacked by the militants. Milliken was killed before the American unit defeated the militants.