Army Pvt 1st Class O'Neill was assigned to 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. O'Neill was on patrol in Shkin when he was engaged by enemy forces. He died of injuries sustained during the attack. Evan lived in North Andover for the first four years of his life and then moved to Haverhill. He attended Haverhill elementary schools and graduated from Whittier Vocational Technical School in Haverhill in 2002. During his junior year at Whittier he joined ROTC, and even began recruiting quite a few people from the high school. Evan took military correspondence courses while in high school to learn about map reading, compass reading and weaponry used by the infantry. He majored in automotive repair and was on the United Nations Debating Team. He received numerous academic, other activity awards and was known as a strong and forceful competitor. Evan became a third-generation Army soldier. He graduated from Army Infantry Basic Training at Fort Benning, Ga., and successfully completed Army Jump School, earning his "Silver Wings." He received several military awards including the National Defense Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, Expert with the M16 Riffle Qualifier and Expert Infantryman Badge, an award he was especially very proud of, as only 10 percent of all applicants accomplish this, and a soldier must first be recommended before attempting to achieve this level. Evan also received the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star with "V" Device for Valor. The motto of the 1st Battalion 87th Infantry Regiment, "To the Top, All the Way," was his motto. Evan was always militarily inclined; from age 5, he'd tell people, 'I want to be a paratrooper like my dad.'