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Jan. 12, 2008
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

Another soldier from Reno killed in action

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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RENO -- Army Staff Sgt. Sean Gaul, 29, of Reno was among six soldiers who died Wednesday in Sinsil, Iraq, after an improvised explosive device detonated during combat operations.

Gov. Jim Gibbons said flags at the Nevada Capitol will be flown at half-staff Monday in honor of Gaul.

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    • Gaul, who is survived by his wife and a daughter, was serving his fifth tour in Iraq and Afghanistan when he was killed while on patrol in Diyala province. He first was deployed to Afghanistan shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, D.C.

    Gaul completed the Army's sniper school before deploying a final time. He attended Reed High School in Sparks, where he was a member of the Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps and passed the GED exam in 1997.

    "Staff Sgt. Gaul was an extraordinary and dedicated soldier who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country while serving his fifth tour of duty in support of the global war on terror," Gibbons said.

    Gaul was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany.

    His wife, Jessica, said he loved his job and was well aware of the risks when he re-enlisted. She called him a "very good man and loving husband."

    News of his death follows that of the death of Army Specialist David Joseph Drakulich, 22, of Reno, who was killed Wednesday near Chagali, Afghanistan, when his vehicle was hit by a mine.

    Drakulich, a forward observer and expert rifleman who was serving his third tour in Afghanistan, was in the 12th month of a 15-month tour when killed. He was assigned to the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

    Funeral services are pending for both soldiers.



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    Mark Montague wrote on January 15, 2008 08:48 PM: Officer Coffey, thank you for your comments. I am a friend of the Minear family and his death has hit hard. Many of us at home are wondering about the War and the Bush administration's effectiveness in executing strategy. What we have no doubts about is the bravery and heroism of those who serve. I just wish we were not losing so many good men and that we had more to show for the sacrifices that have been made.


    LTC Rod Coffey wrote on January 14, 2008 11:26 AM: I am Rod Coffey, SSG Gaul's commanding officer. The last thing he would want his death used for is for someone else's vindictive political comment. Sean was a great man and you denigrate his memory and show utter disrepect for his sacrifice and committment to his men when you in any way attach him to the trash image of the American soldier exhibited in "Redacted".

    The ugly truth is most Iraqis appreciate who the American soldier is and what he is accomplishing more than these first three posters.

    My men have seen with their own eyes how the fight against extremism is here, regardless of any administration's mistakes.


    RussBBinVegas@aol.com wrote on January 12, 2008 02:33 PM: By the way, go see the movie "Redacted" playing at Neonopolis, if unlike the American media that coddles the public with zero real information, you have a desire to get a feel for the actual horror over in Iraq our soldiers experience every goddamn day.


    RussBBinVegas@aol.com wrote on January 12, 2008 02:29 PM: Someone kindly tell me what these continuing deaths (9 young Americans in a single day, this week) have to do with anything other than politicians like Bush & McCain refusing to admit that this war & our brutal on-going American military occupation of a foreign country is a tragic mistake, that our bankrupt nation can no longer afford.


    Mad American wrote on January 12, 2008 11:05 AM: FIFTH TOUR???????????? How tragic and unwarranted. Of couse this young man's number was up and the odds were against him. We need to give Bush a pocket knife and drop him in the middle of Afghanastan - without a compass and with a big target on his back. The spoiled brat might get a REAL feel for the misery he's causing thousands of families. I can't wait to see his sorry a** get into that helicopter one last time and head for Crawford, Texas. PARTY TIME!