The Daily Collegian - A Navy SEAL from State College, Pa., was killed Monday while conducting combat operations in Iraq.

Special Warfare Operator Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch, 29, died from wounds suffered from small arms fire while participating in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

The Lock Haven Express reported that Koch spent a year and a half studying at Penn State, but that could not be confirmed by the university as of press time yesterday.

"He was very highly decorated and obviously well established and served in a dignified manner on the battlefield," said Naval Special Warfare Group TWO Public Affairs Officer Lt. David Luckett.

Koch is survived by his fiancée, mother, father, brother and sister as well. Koch enlisted in the Navy in July 1998 and the SEAL training program in January 1999.

He received numerous awards and decorations including the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, among several others.

The Bronze Star is given to those who exhibit heroic or meritorious achievement in the armed forces.

There are about 2,500 SEALs in the Navy, Luckett said in a press release, adding that "they really are a brotherhood." The Web site, seal.navy.mil, describes the SEALs as an "individually reliable, collectively disciplined and highly skilled maritime force."

"This is another unfortunate reminder of the risks and sacrifices these amazing warriors and their families make on a daily basis," Luckett said in the release.

"Every loss is significant and Chief Koch ... will be missed by all of their brother SEALs and the entire Navy family."

Koch’s parents — Air Force veteran Donald Koch of Coudersport and Jean Ann Burkholder of Corinth, Texas — were born and raised in Jersey Shore. His sister, Tiffany Barnard, lives in Loganton.

The young man visited the area just after Christmas, spending time with his father and grandparents, Mary Ann and Stephen Smeltzer of Linden, and Dolores and Floyd Koch of Jersey Shore, according to his aunt, Holly Smeltzer of Avis.

“He was such a wonderful man. We are so proud of him,” Smeltzer said Wednesday as she recalled his holiday visit.

She said her nephew will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Michael’s mother and brother, Matthew, were told of the death while working with U.S. contractors in Iraq.

Matthew, who accompanied his brother’s body back to Virginia Beach on Tuesday, also served six years in the Navy, Smeltzer said. Michael’s mother left for Virginia Beach Tuesday afternoon.

Another aunt, Williamsport resident Dee Brown, told a Virginia newspaper that Michael came from a family where military values run deep.

The family is so close, Brown said, that while Koch was going through his SEAL training in 1999, his father camped out in the woods, trying to put himself through some of the same experiences his son was enduring.

Family outings might include skydiving or scuba diving, Brown said.

Koch didn’t like to talk about his military experiences, according to Brown, though she said it was obvious he loved his work.

“He was humble,” she said. “He would prefer that we didn’t talk about it. He would just say, ‘It’s my job.’”

Michael Koch and his sister were born on an Air Force base in Omaha, Neb., and Matthew was born on another base in New Mexico, Brown said.

Koch also leaves behind his fiancee, Kathy Howell of Virginia Beach. The two were engaged for eight years.

After high school, Koch attended Penn State for a year and a half. He enlisted in the Navy in July 1998 and entered SEAL training in January 1999.

During his career, he received the Bronze Star, Joint Service Commendation Medal and three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

Fellow SEAL Nathan Hardy, 29, of Durham, N.H., also was killed in Monday’s skirmish. Hardy is survived by his wife, Mindy, and a 7-month-old son, Parker.

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Navy SEAL, Formerly of Md., Killed
By N.C. Aizenman
Washington Post Staff Writer

Chief Petty Officer Michael E. Koch, 29, a graduate of Charles County schools and former resident of La Plata, was one of two Navy SEALs based in Virginia Beach killed in Iraq last week.

Koch and Chief Petty Officer Nathan H. Hardy of Durham, N.H., died Feb. 4 of wounds suffered from small-arms fire during a combat operation, according to Navy officials.

Born on Offut Air Force Base in Omaha, Neb., where his father was stationed, Koch moved frequently as a child because of his father's assignments. He graduated from Maurice J. McDonough High School in Pomfret in 1996.

For the next year and a half, Koch attended Penn State University. He left to enlist in the Navy in 1998 and entered SEAL training in 1999. Joining the elite Special Forces unit was always his goal, said his father, Donald Koch.

"That's why he went into the Navy -- to try out for the SEALs," Koch said. "He was very humble and quiet but fabulous at what he did."

During his career, Koch was awarded the Bronze Star with Valor, a Joint Service Commendation Medal and, three times, the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. His father said Koch will be receiving posthumously a second Bronze Star with Valor.

Koch's commitment to military service appeared to run in the family. His brother, Matthew Koch, served in the Navy for four years, and works as a private contractor in Iraq. He flew back with Michael's body. Koch's father has also worked as a contractor in Iraq and Afghanistan since retiring from the Air Force. And his mother has an accounting job with a U.S. contractor in Afghanistan.

"We as a military family supported Mike in everything he did," Donald Koch said. "But as they say, freedom isn't free. It was a noble and honorable death, and we view it that way and support what the military is doing and what President Bush is trying to get done in this war on terror."

Koch is also survived by a sister and a fiancee. His father declined to discuss further details of his life or death in deference to his son's deep sense of privacy.

"His wishes would have been that it should be kept within the SEAL community and within the family unit," he said. "He did not want to be publicized and his personal life put out for public knowledge. That's just not the type of person that he was."