Sgt. 1st Class James F. Grissom, 31, died March 21 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, of wounds he suffered from small arms fire March 18 in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Grissom was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.

The San Francisco Chronicle reports Grissom was a 1999 graduate of Mt. Eden High School in Hayward, California. He then attended the Art Institute of San Francisco, earning an associate's degree in computer animation.

Grissom joined the Army in June 2003.

He is survived by his wife, his parents, and a sister.

His awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal (2nd Oak Leaf Cluster), the National Defense Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Afghan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Overseas Service Ribbon, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, Special Forces Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, and the Parachutist Badge.

Burial:
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington
Arlington County
Virginia, USA
Plot: Columbarium 7 Z-3-1