Military casualty notification officers knocked on the doors of four homes this past Sunday. On Father's Day, four families got the news that their loved one had died in Afghanistan. These, our nation's sons, have died:
- Sergeant 1st Class Alvin A. Boatwright who was from South Carolina
- Sergeant Edward F. Dixon III who was from Missouri
- Specialist Tyler R. Kreinz who was from Wisconsin
- Sergeant Alan L. Snyder who was from Massachusetts
In Germany, soldiers and families of Company C, 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment are struggling with the deaths of four of their own, who were killed when their vehicle overturned in Afghanistan. The brigade, which deployed in February for a 12-month tour, has had eight deaths since then.
According to the Stars and Stripes site:
Spouses from the company were holding a Family Readiness Group meeting Tuesday night. Chaplains and mental health professionals would offer their services there, said Capt. Bradford Dooley, rear detachment commander for 4-70th Armor Regiment.
“Charlie Company is a very tight-knit unit,” he said. “I know a lot of spouses are taking this hard.”
Another quote is taken from later in the same article:
Capt. Nick Clemente, commander of Company C, said in an e-mail message that the soldiers were “doing as well as can be expected.”
“It has only been a couple days,” he said. But “the men along with our Australian and Afghan brothers have really come together as a family to help each other through this tragedy.”
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Sergeant 1st Class Alvin A. Boatwright
Alvin A. Boatwright was a resident of Lodge, South Carolina. The city is located outside of Walterboro in Colleton County.
He was with the 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Baumholder, Germany.
"SFC Boatwright is the guy people want to be like," said his friend, Drill Sergeant Nate Mosley, in an ABC newsstory:
"He was an Non-Commissioned Officer that was very dependable. If any soldier had an issue, he would not stop until that soldier's issue was taken care of. Every soldier that he came in contact with wanted to be just like him."
Mosley also said Boatwright was a motorcycle enthusiast and very active in that social circle.
"He would challenge anyone in anything, especially when it came to doing flips. He was a very outgoing person."
Sergeant 1st Class Alvin A. Boatwright died Saturday in Afghanistan from injuries suffered when his vehicle rolled over while his company was patrolling the Deh Rawud area of Uruzgan province. The crash was not combat-related. Because an investigation is under way, no further details about the incident has been released.
The three other soldiers also killed in the vehicle accident in Uruzgan province were Sgt. Edward F. Dixon III, 37, of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.; Sgt. Alan L. Snyder, 28, of Blackstone, Mass.; and Spc. Tyler R. Kreinz, 21, Beloit, Wis.
A memorial service is scheduled for June 29 at 11 a.m. at Chapel One on Smith Barracks in Baumholder.
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Sergeant Edward F. Dixon III
Edward F. Dixon III who was a Joplin native and former Whiteman Air Force Base airman, listed his hometown with the military as the Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.
He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, which is based at Baumholder in Germany.
On June 18th, Dixon was in the Deh Rawud area of the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan. The 37-year-old and others from his unit were riding in a vehicle that was involved in a rollover. Sergeant Dixon and three other soldiers died in the accident. A Department of Defense spokesman said the cause of the accident remained under investigation.
Other soldiers killed in the same accident were Sgt. 1st Class Alvin A. Boatwright, 33, of Lodge, S.C.; Sgt. Alan L. Snyder, 28, Worcester, Mass., and Spc. Tyler R. Kreinz, 21, Beloit, Wis.
A memorial service is scheduled for June 29 at 11 a.m. at Chapel One on Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany.
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Specialist Tyler Kreinz
Tyler Kreinz was born and raised in Beloit, attended Beloit Memorial High School in Wisconsin and graduated in 2008. Influenced by the 9/11 terror attacks, he joined the US Army shortly after graduating. According to Wisconsin’s Beloit Daily News site, Tyler had wanted to join the military since he was 12 years old and was deeply affected by the events of 9/11:
Ever since 9/11 happened, he had a one-track mind,” Kreinz said. “We’ve been trying to talk him out of it ever since, but that’s what he wanted for his career and his life and we had to back him up on any decisions he wanted to make.”
Kreinz said Tyler already had his college money prepared, but he wanted to serve his country first before going to college. Tyler wanted to become a conservation warden for the Department of Natural Resources.
“He loved fishing and hunting,” Kreinz said. “Hunting was his big thing. He just loved being outdoors.”
Tyler, who, also excelled at sports and kickboxing. His father said Tyler was undefeated in kickboxing
He was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team in Baumholder, Germany. Tyler started his first deployment to Afghanistan in January. He was due to return to his base in Baumholder, Germany in February once his tour in Afghanistan ended.
On June 18 Kreinz was riding in a patrol in the Uruzgan province of Afghanistan. He along with three fellow soldiers were involved in the vehicle rollover, and all four died from the injuries they suffered.
Also killed in the vehicle rollover were Sgt. 1st Class Alvin A. Boatwright, 33, of Lodge, S.C.; Sgt. Edward F. Dixon III, 37, of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.; and Sgt. Alan L. Snyder, 28, of Worcester, Mass.
In addition to his parents, David and Marilyn Kreinz, Tyler is survived by his brothers Tanner, 19, and Grant, 9.
A memorial service is scheduled for June 29 at 11 a.m. at Chapel One on Smith Barracks in Baumholder.
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Army Sergeant Alan L. Snyder
Alan Snyder had lived in Blackstone, Massachusetts from 2001 to 2004, but listed his hometown with the military as Worcester, Massachusetts. After news of Snyder’s passing, the flag at Blackstone Town Hall was lowered to half-staff.
He joined the Army and was assigned to the Fourth Battalion, 70th Armored Regiment of the 170th Infantry Brigade Combat Team based in Baumholder, Germany.
Army Sergeant Alan L. Snyder was in Uruzgan Province of Afghanistan, with the three other soldiers, patrolling the Deh Rawud area of the Uruzgan province, when the vehicle in which they were riding rolled over. Snyder died from the injuries suffered in the accident. The crash, which occured on June 18th, was not combat-related. Because an investigation is under way, no further details about the incident has been released.
An announcement was put out by an Army spokesman:
“The Army extends heartfelt sympathies and condolences to his family and friends who have suffered this loss and is committed to providing full support for their needs,’’ said Charles Sawyer, vice chairman of the Blackstone Board of Selectmen, who received a casualty announcement from a congressional office. Sawyer is also commander of Blackstone’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 498.
Army Sergeant First Class Alvin A. Boatwright, 33, of Lodge, S.C.; Sergeant Edward F. Dixon III, 37, of Whiteman Air Force Base, Mo.; and Specialist Tyler R. Kreinz, 21, of Beloit, Wis., also died in the rollover.
Snyder is survived by his parents who reside in Winchester, Kentucky and by his brothers, James and Justin Snyder. A memorial service is scheduled for June 29 at 11 a.m. at Chapel One on Smith Barracks in Baumholder.
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