www.citizen-times.com -- The father of an Asheville soldier killed in Iraq this week, Spc. Kenneth D. Hess, says his son “hated it in Iraq” but was determined to fight terrorists there rather than in America.
“He was a good kid,” Terry Hess said of his son, who was 26. “He was stubborn. If he didn’t want to do something, it was like trying to move a mountain.”
Kenneth Hess attended A.C. Reynolds High School and joined the Army six years ago. He served in the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based out of Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
Hess died Tuesday in Rawah, Iraq, while his unit was conducting a dismounted patrol, according to a Department of Defense press release.
He was killed “as the result of a suicide bomber attack,” the press release said.
Terry Hess said his son is survived by his wife, April, and a 10-year-old son, Alex Nelson, from a previous relationship. He said Kenneth planned on making a career out of the army.
“He made a dang good soldier,” said Terry Hess, a senior supervisor with Buncombe County Schools Transportation Services. “He was so proud to serve his country.”