Elwell, a married father of two, graduated from Council Rock High School in 1997. While there, he played soccer, said his sister, Susan Elwell Burkhard, of Pineville, Bucks County.
One of five children, Elwell always wanted to join the military service and "was very proud of what he did," Burkhard said.
"He did what he loved, so we could do the simple, everyday things that we take for granted," Burkhard said.
Elwell was assigned to the Third Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, First Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
"He kept most of his military life to himself. He told us funny stories - the silly stuff," Burkhard said. Coppernoll said Elwell joined the Army in October 1997 and served at Fort Riley, Kan., Korea, and Fort Benning, Ga., before arriving at Fort Wainwright in March. He had two previous deployments to Iraq, as well as a deployment to Bosnia. Elwell was the 88th area service member to have died in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.
Coppernoll said the 4,000-member brigade began deploying to Afghanistan in mid-Apri for a one-year tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The next of kin have been notified, Coppernoll said. Elwell's 13-year-old nephew posted Monday on phillyburbs.com expressing anguish at his uncle's death.
"We miss you, Uncle Kenny. I hope you Rest In Peace! Everything gets harder with it on the news, and in the paper. I'm only 13. I can't deal with all this sadness!"
Burkhard said Elwell's wife, Kristen, and children, Elise, 6, and Nicholas, 4, were returning to this area from Alaska, where the family had recently transferred.
Burkhard said a military burial in Arlington National Cemetery is "what he wanted." A memorial service and candlelight vigil are also being planned in Bucks County.
Two soldiers died July 17, in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device; they were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; killed were Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth B. Elwell, 33, of Holland, Pa.; and Pfc. Tyler M. Springman, 19, of Hartland, Maine.
This site is dedicated to those soldiers from the Easton, Pa. Area who gave their lives for the War on Terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the World
Page II
DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Spc. Joshua A. Harton, 23, of Bethlehem, Penn., died Sept. 18 in Kaftar Khan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket propelled grenade fire. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.
Spc. Joshua A. Harton
Army Spc. Joshua A. Harton was a zombie movie-loving wise guy who was looking forward to getting out of the "crap hole" of Afghanistan in February but instead will be memorialized in a few days by his stricken relatives, who learned over the weekend that he had died in an ambush.
Harton, 23, died Saturday, according to his mother, Ruth Harton. Army representatives knocked on the door of her Bethlehem home early Sunday morning to break the news.
"We already knew," she said. "No one else comes to the door like that. As soon as I saw the uniforms, I knew."
Harton, who enlisted in the Army shortly before his 21st birthday, had served a tour in Iraq and had been recently stationed at Forward Operating Base Griffin in Afghanistan with the 10th Mountain Division's 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, based at Fort Drum, N.Y..
He spent three weeks at his mother's home in August and wrote an update on his Facebook page just before heading back to the war zone:
"So I am only one day until back at FOB Griffin, people should start writing me don't get to come online very often, only until FEB and I am out of this crap hole!!"
Harton died in Kaftar Khan of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fire, the Department of Defense reported Monday night. His mother said she was told his platoon was on its way back from patrol when it was ambushed and that Harton was the only casualty.
"He usually does the big guns on the turrets, on the armored vehicles," she said. "He's usually in the rear, usually the go-to guy. Either he got jumped and had no time to react or he reacted and because he did, his squad was OK. That would make sense to me, because that was Josh. He's protecting their back."
She said her son, who was born in Sellersville and attended school in the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia, had always been fiercely loyal to his friends, at home and in the service.
"They're not siblings by blood, but he's got more brothers than I can count," she said.
Harton's remains were to be returned to his family — besides his mother, he is survived by a sister, Jessica, and stepsister, Leia — at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
His mother said Harton, who loved zombie movies and playing a paintball-style game called Zombie Hill, left William Penn High School in Philadelphia before graduating but later obtained a general equivalency diploma.
She said he was a funny kid — "Oh, he was a wise-ass" — who liked puns and "make-you-think humor."
"He would do a pun or joke and you wouldn't get it until five minutes later," she remembered.
Living at home and working part-time for a delivery company, Harton was dissatisfied and decided to join the military. He planned to pursue a law-enforcement career when he was finished.
"He wasn't a flag-waving patriot," his mother said, "but he was there to do his duty. It wasn't because of king and country, it was because he knew it was right."
He stayed in touch by e-mail and phone. She missed her son's most recent call, on Friday.
Harton said her son's remains would be cremated and the memorial service will be private. He was a dog lover with a particular fondness for English bulldogs, so she asked that donations in her son's name be made to bulldog rescue groups or to the Lehigh County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Cpl. Joshua A. Harton, 23, a U.S. Army soldier from Bethlehem, was killed Saturday, September 18, 2010, during a combat ambush in Afghanistan. Born: October 14, 1986 in Sellersville, PA, he was the son of Ruth Shirey Harton.
Personal: Joshua was a courageous soldier who proudly served his country. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 6th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) in Fort Drum, N.Y., and was a cannon crew member. He had served a tour in Iraq and was most recently stationed at Forward Operating Base Griffin in Afghanistan.
Joshua received many soldier's honors including; the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, NATO Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, and the Army Good Conduct Medal. He was also awarded the following; the Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Combat Action Badge and the Driver Mechanic Badge. He had also completed the Field Artillery Cannon Systems Qualification Course and the Combat Lifesavers Course.
Prior to joining the Army, Josh worked locally for UPS. On a personal note, he was an extremely dedicated and loyal friend to those close to him. He considered his friends as family.
Memberships: He was a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism. Josh enjoyed engaging in the sport of Air-Soft and was a member of the Triple Threat Air-Soft team. Survivors: In addition to his mother Ruth, he was survived by one sister, and one maternal grandmother.
Services: A private viewing and graveside service, with full Military Honors, will be held at the convenience of the family. Arrangements are under the care and direction of Schmidt Funeral Home, P.C., 407 Belvidere St., Nazareth, PA. Memorials: In lieu of floral tributes, contributions, in memory of Josh, may be made to TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors), 1777 F St. NW, Suite 600, Washington DC, 20006 or to the Pennsylvania SPCA, 350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134. Please visit www.schmidtfuneralhomepc.com to express an online condolence in honor of Joshua, or to order a sympathy card for his family.
Please sign this book to leave a personal remembrance for these Heroes.
Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth B. Elwell, 33, of Holland, Pa.
Janice Elwell, mother of Master Sgt. Kenneth Elwell who was killed in Afghanistan on July 17 and Kenneth's oldest brother Mike Elwell gather around family photographs in their Northhampton home.
Master Sgt. Kenneth Elwell who was killed in Afghanistan on July 17, 2011 and his family
Pfc. Tyler M. Springman, 19, of Hartland, Maine died that day with Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth B. Elwell
Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr.
A U.S. soldier from Warren County died in Afghanistan, the military said today.
The remains of Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., of Blairstown Township, are due to arrive tonight at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., according to the U.S. Air Force.
Wildrick, 30, and another soldier died Sunday in Kunar province when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
The other soldier was identified as Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz, 24, of New Cuyama, Calif.
Wildrick, who friends said grew up in Byram, N.J., and lived in Blairstown after getting married, was stationed out of the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii.
He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, the Department of Defense said.
An Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr. on Tuesday night at Dover Air Force Base, Del. According to the Department of Defense, Wildrick, 30, of Blairstown Township, died Sunday in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.
Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr.
Wildrick enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 18, 2008, as an infantryman. He leaves behind two young daughters, Kaylee and Leigha
Left to right, Ronald H. Wildrick Jr. and Jarrod De Rosa. The two were best friends, Nicole De Rosa said.
The Department of Defense announced Tuesday the deaths of two Schofield Barracks soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
They are identified as Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz, 24, from New Cuyama, California and Spc. Ronald H. Wildrick Jr., 30, from Blairstown, New Jersey.
Sgt. Muniz was assigned with the 3rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
Sgt. Muniz’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Posthumous Awards include: Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, NATO Medal and the Combat Action Badge.
Spc. Wildrick Jr. was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division.
Spc. Wildrick’s awards and decorations include the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Service Star, Global War on Terrorism Medal, Army Service Ribbon and the Basic Parachutist Badge. Posthumous awards include Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, NATO Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.
This was both Sgt. Muniz’s and Spc. Wildrick’s first overseas deployment.
Sgt. Muniz enlisted in the U.S. Army on November 13, 2008 as a Signal Intelligence Analyst.
Spc. Wildrick enlisted in the U.S. Army June 18, 2008 as an Infantryman.
Sgt. Muniz was married and Spc. Wildrick was married with 2 daughters.
The Department of Defense said they died Dec. 11, in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz
A soldier from New Cuyama has been killed in action.
Sgt. Christopher L. Muniz, 24, was killed Sunday by an improvised-explosive device in Kunar Province, Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said.
Muniz was one of two soldiers killed in the attack.
He was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii.
New Cuyama is 70 miles southwest of Bakersfield on Highway 166.
