At least 511 American servicemembers have died in Afghanistan and the surrounding regions since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan in 2001. This total includes an Army sergeant, Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey, and a National Guardsman, Sgt. Kevin D. Grieco, whose deaths were announced on Tuesday. Both men came from military families, and each leaves behind a wife and two small children. Please follow me below the fold to learn more about the lives of these two men who were killed by a suicide bomber on Monday.
On Tuesday, the Department of Defense made the following announcement:
The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Oct. 27 in Baghlan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when a suicide bomber detonated explosives as they were preparing to enter a building.
Killed were:
Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey, 22, of Canton, Ohio, who was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Bragg, N.C.
Sgt. Kevin D. Grieco, 35, of Bartlett, Ill., who was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery, Illinois Army National Guard, Sycamore, Ill.
The Canton Repository provides additional details. While the two men were meeting with Afghan officials to advise them about a police training program, a suicide bomber entered the building and detonated a bomb. Another American servicemember was injured in the blast, and an 8-year-old Afghan boy was also killed.
Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey and his wife, Rachelle, were high school sweethearts. Although he attended Timken High School and she attended McKinley, Racelle met Nicholas in English class when she attended the business academy at Timken. Both Nicholas and Rachelle graduated in 2004, and Sgt. Casey joined the Air Force in July of that year.
Sgt. Casey, who is known to his friends as "Nick," began listening to military recruiters in the 10th grade. He was attracted to the military, in part, because of the lack of jobs in the Canton area. In February of 2005, he transferred from the Air Force to the Army because he saw more opportunity for advancement in the Army. He received his basic training at Fort Knox, KY, and his advanced indiviual training at Fort Huachuca, AZ. Sgt. Casey completed a tour of duty in Iraq and returned home in Ocember of 2007. He was deployed to Afghanistan in September of this year and was recently promoted to sergeant.
In May his wife, Rachelle, decided to make the Army her career as well. Their sons, Nicholas II, age 3, and Curtis, age 2, went to live with their maternal grandparents, Robert and Audrey Wendling, while Rachelle completed her military training and Sgt. Casey prepared for Afghanistan. According to her father, Rachelle may be deployed to the Middle East early Next year. Wendling described his son-in-law as follows:
He was a gung-ho kind of boy. A neat kid. ~snip~ Anybody who perishes in that situation is a hero, regardless.
Sgt Casey was the recipient of many awards and honors including the Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal. In addition to his wife and children, he is survived by his parents, Samuel Casey and Debbie Mitchell, and brother and a sister, and his parents-in-law. After learning of his son's death, Samuel Casey said the following:
He was my whole world, dude. ~snip~ He was everything to me. I’m not supposed to be seeing him off; he’s supposed to be seeing me off. The heart just jumped out of my chest, you know what I mean? He’s just an awesome kid.
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Sgt. Kevin A. Grieco was the third generation in his family to serve his country in the military. He served 13 years in the US Navy and joined the Army National Guard in December of 2006. Grieceo graduated from Waynesville High School in Missouri in 1992, and he received a bachelor of science degree from Aurora University in 2004.
In a uniquely American story, Grieco met his wife, Rashmi, an immigrant from India, while line dancing. At the time, Grieco had just returned from a deployment in Spain.
Rashmi Grieco describes her husband's commitment to the military and to this country:
"He was extremely dedicated to his military career," she said. "He would keep telling me that even if he could die for his country, he would love to. And he would not hesitate to die twice, three times."
On learning of Grieco's death, Maj. Gen William Enyart of the Illinois National Guard issued the following statement:
When we lose an Illinois National Guard Soldier, it’s like losing a brother or sister. ~snip~ On behalf of the men and women of the Illinois National Guard, we offer our deepest condolences to the Grieco family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.
In addition to his wife, Sgt. Grieco leaves behind two children, Joshua, age 4, and Angeli, age 2. His is also survived by his parents, Ralph and Linda Grieco. His father is a retired colonel.
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Poppies are the symbols of remembrance. Let us never forget the sacrifices that Sgt Casey and Sgt. Grieco made for this country. May their families find comfort and solace. Rest in peace.
About "I Got the News Today" (IGTNT)
I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
The series was begun by i dunno and is maintained by Sandy on Signal, monkeybiz, noweasels, MsWings, greenies, blue jersey mom, Chacounne, twilight falling, moneysmith, labwitchy, joyful, roses, SisTwo, SpamNunn, AGirlinMI, JeNoCo, mediaprof and Pager.
Please bear in mind that these diaries are read by friends and family of the service members chronicled here. May all of our remembrances be full of compassion rather than politics.