Wahconah High Graduate Killed in Afghanistan
 Army Spc. Mitchell Daehling of Dalton was reportedly killed in action in Afghanistan earlier this week. |
Update: The Defense Department on Friday afternoon confirmed that Army Spec. Mitchell Daehling and two others died May 14 "of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device."
Daehling and Spc. William J. Gilbert, 24, of Hacienda Heights, Calif., were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, based in Fort Bliss, Texas.
Sgt. 1st Class Jeffrey C. Baker, 29, of Hesperia, Calif., was assigned to 766th Ordnance Company, 63rd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, of Fort Stewart, Ga.
The attack occurred in Sanjary, Afghanistan.
DALTON, Mass. — A local soldier was killed in Afghanistan earlier this week.
Army Spec. Mitchell Daehling, son of Kirk and Brenda Daehling of Dalton, was a 2006 Wahconah Regional High School graduate. The school's flag was reportedly at half staff on Thursday and his parents had left to meet his body at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
The Defense Department reported three American soldiers were killed Tuesday when the convoy they were with was hit by a roadside bomb in the Zhari district in southern Kandahar province. It is not clear if Daehling was one of those killed.
Taliban attacks in Zhari have reportedly increased as the United States and coalition forces draw down.
Wahconah guidance counselor John Kovacs, also Daehling's soccer coach, told WTEN News that he was well liked and quiet, but driven. "He was a team player. He would do anything for you, would run through the wall for you, basically."
On Friday morning, the Wahconah High page described Daehling as "a true 'Warrior' in every sense word."
"The strength and determination that Mitch possessed serves as a model for all Wahconah students. Mitch's bravery and service to our country was beyond measure. The entire Wahconah Family extends its heartfelt condolences to Mitch's wife, parents, brother, and sister during this difficult time."
Daehling is the third Berkshire County serviceman killed in action in the Afghanistan War, known under the operations name of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Army Sgt. First Class Daniel H. Petithory, a 1987 graduate of Hoosac Valley High School, was killed Dec. 5, 2001, in an American bombing only weeks after the United States invaded the country in response to the terror attacks of Sept. 11. A section of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail through the Green Beret's hometown of Cheshire was dedicated in his honor.
Army Spc. Michael DeMarsico of North Adams was on his first overseas tour when he was killed in a roadside bombing last August in Panjwa'l, Afghanistan. He was attached to the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Two other locally connected servicemen were lost while on active duty. Army Sgt. Glenn R. Allison, 24, of Pittsfield, died Dec. 18, 2003, from a physical ailment while serving during the Iraq War with the 10th Mountain Division. Marine Lance Cpl. Roger W. Muchnick Jr., whose family has roots in Lenox, was killed when a mortar shell exploded during a training exercise in Nevada in March.
Daehling graduated in 2010 from Daniel Webster College, where he played lacrosse and studied homeland security. He enlisted in 2010 and was apparently deployed to Afghanistan in December. Hs last note on Facebook was to his mother, on Mother's Day, telling her "your the best mom anyone could ask for. Miss you, love you and see you soon."
Besides his parents, he leaves his wife, Samantha Daehling, and siblings Adam and Kayla Daehling.
More than 1,700 U.S. servicemen and -women have been killed in action in Afghanistan since 2001.
Statement from U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal:
"My heart goes out to the family and loved ones of Army Specialist Mitchell Daehling of Dalton who was killed in action in Afghanistan this week. The brave men and women who serve in harms way defending our freedom deserve our sincere gratitude and respect. Specialist Daehling was a brave young man who represented the best of America, and he will remain in my thoughts and prayers."
| NEWS10 ABC: Albany, New York News, Weather, Sports |
Tags: afghanistan, casualty, military, war,
