Tuesday, December 27, 2011

RIP Sgt. Altmann

May he rest in peace.

Army Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann’s plans and dreams were coming together: He married in February, re-enlisted in October for another four years of service and expected to return by March 2012 from a deployment in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, his father, John, said.

His wife, Nikki, planned to quit her Texas-based job with a charter air transport company serving armed forces personnel when Altmann ended this deployment, his father said Tuesday. Then the young couple could live together and start a family.

But the couple’s plans abruptly ended on Christmas Day.

Altmann, 27, died Sunday of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit in Kunar province, a mountainous region in northeastern Afghanistan. His parents were notified around 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

“Christmas will never be the same in the Altmann home,” his father said. “He will be sadly missed.”

The family is “devastated,” even though they knew the risks Altmann faced by re-enlisting, his mother, Janice, said.

“As a mother, you worry about your child no matter what they do,” she said, “but we talked about it, and we supported his decision 110%.”

(2) Comments
Posted by Owen at 1658 hrs
Military

  1. Very sad reminder of the sacrifice our troops are making to keep us free.  I wonder if anyone interrupted the commander in chief’s gulf game in HI to let him know of this tragic loss.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 28, 2011 at 0700 hrs


  2. Our prayers are with STaff Sgt.Altmann and his Family. When are we ever going to recognize that the military cannot fight and win wars when they are held back by civilians who are only looking for headlines and political correctness.right 14

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on December 28, 2011 at 1138 hrs


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