An 11-year veteran of the Essex County Sheriff's Office in New Jersey died Tuesday while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Staff Sgt. Jorge Miguel Oliveira, 33, of Newark, died of wounds sustained during an attack on his unit in the Paktika province of Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Thursday.
Oliveira was serving a year-long tour, his third with the New Jersey Army National Guard, said military officials.
His first tour was in Iraq, in 2008.
Oliveira was an officer in the Essex County Sheriff's Office, and had most recently been on the fugitive squad.
New Jersey Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Glenn K. Rieth, who met Oliveira in April during a pre-deployment training in Indiana, called the long-serving soldier "an American hero" in a statement.
"Oliveira was one of the most seasoned non-commissioned officers on the deployment, having served on a detainee operations mission to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba in 2004, in response to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans the following year, and a yearlong combat tour in Iraq in 2008-2009," Rieth said.
Oliveira joined the National Guard in 2003, after having served three years on Army active duty beginning in 1997.
Oliveira had been recognized with the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal with Campaign Star. He had also earned the Expert Infantryman Badge and the Air Assault Badge.
Oliveira is survived by his mother and father and a brother and sister.
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