 |
TF Patriot Leaders, Comrades Honor Fallen Soldier
(February 8, 2011) |
|
|
U.S. Army Spc. Omar Soltero was a 28-year-old San
Antonio native assigned to Headquarters and
Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry
Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain
Division's Task Force Warrior, when he was killed
during an improvised explosive device attack while
patrolling the Tangi area of Wardak Province Jan.
31, 2011. During his deployment to Afghanistan,
Soltero was a sniper working out of Combat Outpost
Tangi under the operational control of TF Warrior's
Co. C. Courtesy Photo |
|
LOGAR PROVINCE,
Afghanistan (02/05/2011) – A Task Force Patriot soldier from 4th
Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division based at
Fort Polk, La., died as the result of an enemy
attack in Wardak Province Jan 31.
U.S. Army
Spc. Omar Soltero was a 28-year-old San Antonio
native assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters
Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment's Task
Force Warrior, when he died during an improvised
explosive device attack while on a dismounted patrol
in the Tangi area. Soltero was working out of Combat
Outpost Tangi under the operational control of Co.
C, 2nd Bn., 4th. Inf., while deployed in
Afghanistan.
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. John Mickle,
first sergeant for TF Warrior's Headquarters and
Headquarters Company from Newton, Iowa, called
Soltero “an inspiring young Soldier with the ability
to accomplish any mission tasked.” He said Soltero
was “always in the front (and) always ready.”
Mickle cited Soltero as an example for all
Soldiers to follow. “His unique smile, and kindness
toward all he knew, will be missed by all Task Force
Warriors. (He was) a great Soldier and (an) even
better friend.”
Soltero's San Antonio family
knows better than anyone how right Mickle was when
he said Soltero was always ready. Soltero's father,
Gustavo, and his younger brother, Adrian, both told
hometown media representatives in San Antonio
Soltero wanted to join the Army and serve his
country since he was a boy.
“From when he was
a little kid, he said when he turned 18 he wanted to
join. He wanted to fight the bad guys,” Gustavo
Soltero told John W. Gonzalez of the San Antonio
Express News, Feb. 1. “He loved his |
country.”
"He was a hero," said Adrian Soltero, as KENS
Channel 5's Karen Grace reported in San Antonio,
Feb. 1. "He did what he had to do to serve his
country."
Sgt. James King, a Pawling, N.Y.,
native and sniper team leader for HHC, 2nd Bn., 4th
Inf., OPCON to Co. C, said it is not an easy mission
for him to put into words the impact Soltero had on
his team. However, King's poignant accounting of
Soltero and his significance proves both he and
Soltero were capable of “soldiering up” when faced
with a tough task in a combat zone during a time of
war.
"I can say simply that he was a great
man to have watching your back and a true example of
what it means to be a soldier."
Soltero's
awards and decorations include the Bronze Star
Medal; Purple Heart; Army Achievement Medal, with
four Oak Leaf Clusters; Good Conduct Medal; National
Defense Service Medal, with Bronze Service Star;
Afghan Campaign Medal, with Star Device; Kosovo
Campaign Medal, with Bronze Service Star; Global War
on Terror Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officer
Professional Development Ribbon, with Numeral 2;
Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Service Ribbon, with
two Bronze Service Stars; Armed Forces Reserve
Medal, with Mobilization Device; NATO Medal, with
two Bronze Service Stars; Ranger Tab; Combat
Infantryman Badge; Expert Infantryman Badge;
Parachutist Badge; and Air Assault Badge. |
|
By Combined Joint Task Force 101
Copyright 2011 | |
Reprinted from
Marine Corps News
Comment on this article |
|
