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SGT GABRIEL GUZMAN
Release # 03-004
PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
82nd AIRBORNE DIVISION
Fort Bragg, NC  28310-5000
Phone (910) 432-0661/0662 
Fax (910) 432-5205  

March 12, 2008   
Release #03-004     
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  
82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper dies in Afghanistan

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — An 82nd Airborne Division Paratrooper died of wounds sustained when his vehicle patrol hit an improvised explosive device near Gholam Haydar Kala, Afghanistan, Saturday.

Sgt. Gabriel Guzman, 25, of Hornbrook, Calif. was a Forward Observer in the 2nd  Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn. Div.

Members of C Company remembered SGT Guzman for being the epitome of selfless service.  “On a mission this past year while conducting a mountain clearance operation, Sergeant Guzman willingly gave the Platoon RTO his last bit of water knowing that we still had more than four kilometers to move,” said 1st Sgt. Derek Gondek, C Company First Sergeant.  “That is just the type of man that he was, his utmost concern was always his Paratroopers.”

Guzman joined the Army in July 2003.  He arrived to the 82nd Abn. Div. in March 2004 after completing Artillery One Station Unit Training in Fort Sill, Okla. and the Basic Airborne Course in Fort Benning, Ga. Guzman previously deployed with the 82nd Abn. Div. in support of Operation Enduring Freedom from February 2007 to March 2008.

“Sergeant Guzman set the standard for noncommissioned officers with his dedication to duty and he will be sorely missed by all of us,” said Lt. Col. Timothy McAteer, commander of 2nd Bn., 508th PIR.  “Our deepest sympathies are with his family as we mourn the loss of a great paratrooper and leader.”

Guzman’s awards and decorations include: the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Army Good Conduct Medal  with two loops, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge, and the Parachutist’s Badge.

Guzman is survived by his daughter, Angela Haley, of Bay Point, Calif.; his father, Reynaldo Guzman; his mother, Shelley Tucker, of Mount Shasta, Calif.; and his sister, Anni Watson, of Antelope, Calif.

IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                            No. 190-08
March 12, 2008

  

DoD Identifies Army Casualty

 

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

 

            Sgt. Gabriel Guzman, 25, of Hornbrook, Calif., died March 8 at Orgun E, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device in Gholam Haydar Kala, Afghanistan. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

  

RIP Trooper.

We will not forget you!