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Up Spc Struble (2)
 
SPC SASCHA STRUBLE (1 of 2)

LaPorte County native killed in Afghanistan

BY ELIZABETH HOLMES
eholmes@nwitimes.com
219.462.5151
| Saturday, April 16, 2005

HANNA | Sascha Struble took his dad with him when he enlisted in the Army in 2002, during his senior year in high school. After growing up hearing stories of his father, who also was in the Army, jumping out of helicopters and repelling off of cliffs, Struble was wary of certain positions in the military. So when the recruitment counselor asked what job he wanted, Struble pointed to his dad and said, "Whatever he didn't do."

That didn't last long.

"Within the first year, he's calling me and saying, 'Dad, I'm going to air-assault school.' He was so proud," Mike Struble recalled. "I said to him, 'You're sure doing a lot of crazy stuff for someone who didn't want to do crazy stuff.'"

Struble, a 20-year-old man whose family lives in LaPorte County, died on April 6 in a military helicopter crash near Ghazni, 80 miles south of the Afghan capital of Kabul. With 18 lives lost, it was the deadliest crash for Americans since the fall of the Taliban in 2001.

Struble, who held the rank of Army specialist, enlisted in the spring of 2002. He shipped out in November of that year and spent his entire time overseas stationed in Italy.

Although he was nervous at first, Struble fell in love with military life, his family said.

"He was excited about everything," Teresa, Struble's mother said. "Every time he called it was, 'Mom, guess what.'"

In addition to being airborne and air-assault qualified, Struble also was a paralegal for the Army. He was taking online courses, with the intention of going to college full-time at some point.

Being in the military runs in Struble's family. Along with his father's military career, his brother, 22-year-old Nick Doms, has spent a year in Iraq and now is stationed in Oklahoma. His younger brother, Michael Struble, recently signed up for the Air Force.

"I always tried really hard never to push the military on any of the kids," Struble's father said. "I certainly encouraged it, but I never pushed it. Let them make their own calls, their own decisions."

As they sat on the couch of their home in Hanna, a small community in southern LaPorte County, the family held hands and hugged while sharing memories of Struble, the young man with the contagious smile and a love for life.

Struble, one of six children, went to elementary school in LaPorte for three years. Growing up, the biggest punishment for Struble was being sent to his room.

"You put that boy in his room, he was miserable," his father said.

Most recently, he lived in Philadelphia, N.Y. His former high school there is starting a scholarship fund in his honor.

Struble played the guitar and loved photography, often taking pictures of the places he was sent and e-mailing them to his family. He also was an avid sports fan, known for wearing basketball shorts with socks pulled up to his knees.

"He was always making us laugh," his sister, Courtney, 14, said.

For his younger brother, Michael, Struble's death is especially difficult.

"He was the best friend I ever had," he said. "He was always there to pick me up whenever I was down. If anything ever happened he would always give me a call, help me out, give me advice."

Although they were an ocean apart, Struble and Michael kept in touch by e-mail almost every day. The most exciting piece of news of late was Michael's recent enlistment in the Air Force.

"He wrote me right before he got on the helicopter," Michael said. "He told me, whatever goes on in my life, stick to what I want, what makes me happy and that he's really proud of me for joining the Air Force."

Although his parents are leery of letting him pursue a career in the military given Sascha's death, Michael remains committed to joining the Air Force if for no other reason than honoring his late brother's memory.

"I'm just gonna kick butt even harder for him," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source:  NY Times.com