Friday, March 30 2007 @ 07:48 AM EDT
Contributed by: tomw
Views: 612
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 (WCCO) The Department of Defense announced Wednesday the death of a Minnesota soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Spc. Sean K. McDonald, 21, died March 25 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
 McDonald was assigned to the 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Wiesbaden, Germany.
McDonald is the 55th person with strong Minnesota ties who have died in connection with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
McDonald lived in the Twin Cities for a couple years as he was growing up, attending fifth and sixth grades in Apple Valley. Then, he moved to the Netherlands with his Dutch mother, said his sister, Jessica McDonald of Rosemount.
"He said he wanted to move back with us, to start his life," she told the Star Tribune.
Sean McDonald was assigned to the Army's 9th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Wiesbaden, Germany.
Maj. Wayne Marotto, a public affairs officer in Germany, wrote in an e-mail that McDonald "will be missed and we must not forget the valuable contribution SPC McDonald made to his country and the impact he has left on the Army."
His sister said recent telephone calls and e-mails from McDonald indicated that the situation in Iraq was getting "pretty bad."
"He was driving the same route every single day, so it had become very challenging for him," she said. "His unit had lost three other guys on Christmas Day, which was his birthday."
Jessica McDonald said her brother had dual citizenship, but enlisted in the Army when he turned 18.
"He always wanted to be an American soldier," she said. "It was something he decided to do as he got older, to give him a purpose in his life.
"Sean was very patriotic, proud to be an American. He was dedicated to this country."
McDonald was sent to Iraq in September and was scheduled to rotate out this summer, with his enlistment ending next spring, Jessica McDonald said.
"Career-wise, he wasn't sure what exactly he wanted to do after the Army, but he was definitely set to come back home here when he was done," she said. "It's horrible -- just horrible."
A memorial service would be held for McDonald on April 5 in Schweinfurt, Germany.
"We wish to express our deepest condolences to the family members and friends of SPC Sean McDonald," Maj. Wayne Marotto, a public affairs officer in Germany, wrote in an e-mail. "He will be missed and we must not forget the valuable contribution SPC McDonald made to his country and the impact he has left on the Army." |
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I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
"Assistiremos"(We Will Assist)9th Engrs Motto