Gene Arden Vance Jr.

Gene Arden (“Buddy”) Vance Jr. (November 30, 1963 – May 18, 2002) was an American soldier, a member of a US Special Forces Airborne Army National Guard Unit who, despite being critically wounded, saved the lives of two fellow Americans and 18 Afghan soldiers during the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021). Vance's actions, life story, heroism and death were widely publicized in the mainstream media and is featured in several books on the War on Terrorism as well as in the ABC reality series "Profiles from the Front Line".

Vance was the first member of the National Guard of the United States to be killed in direct action since a New Hampshire National Guard soldier was killed in Vietnam in 1969. He was also the first West Virginia National Guardsman to be killed in action since World War II and the first U.S. Army graduate of Goodfellow Air Force Base's cryptography training to be killed in action while taking part in Operation Enduring Freedom. Vance was the first alumni of The Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center Presidio of Monterey to be killed in combat since the terrorist attacks on the US of September 2001.

Both federal and state leaders in the United States government have inscribed Vance into US history as a national hero. Two US military intelligence staff buildings, a military camp in Bagram, Afghanistan, a US state bridge, a US based non-profit organization, an annual US citywide memorial day, biometric laboratory, hall of honor, city/mountain bike path, trademarked coffee label, and memorial drive have been named in his honor. He received 17 awards and decorations including the US Army Purple Heart, two Bronze Star Medals with and the Legion of Merit that recognizes exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of sustained, superior achievement.