St. Shaun M. Mittler

Sgt. Shaun M. Mittler
Hometown:Austin, Texas, U.S.

Age:32 years old

Died:July 10, 2010 in Operation Enduring Freedom.

Unit:Army, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Incident: Died in Konar, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit using rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fires.
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Soldier with Austin ties killed in Afghanistan
By Claudia Grisales | Wednesday, July 14, 2010, 01:32 PM

A 32-year old soldier, Sgt. Shaun M. Mittler, who was recently stationed at Fort Hood and lived in Austin, was killed in Afghanistan in an attack this past weekend, the Defense Department and relatives said Wednesday.

Mittler died of injuries sustained in an attack in the Kunar region of Afghanistan when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades and gunfire, military officials said in a statement. Mittler had been stationed in Afghanistan for about a year, his stepfather Lance Turner said by telephone Wednesday from his Kansas City, Mo., home.

Previously, Mittler lived in Kentucky, where he was assigned to Fort Campbell, the base where he began his military career almost 12 years ago, Turner said.

Mittler was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star on Tuesday, Turner said. The military was key in Mittler’s life, Turner said.

Mittler was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), in Fort Campbell, Ky.

“The military saved him and he’s a hero of this country and his friends and family,” said Turner, 57. “He loved life and he’s a hero.”

After Fort Campbell, Mittler was stationed in Korea for about a year and then spent a few years in Hawaii and then Fort Hood around 2006 for a couple of years until he returned to Kentucky, Turner said. He also did two tours of duty in Iraq in recent years, Turner said.

Turner, who is married to Mittler’s mother, 56-year-old Joyce Turner, also described his stepson as a “goofball.” Joyce Turner declined to comment Wednesday.

“He lived life to the fullest and he was a jokester and he had a huge heart,” Turner said.

Mittler is survived by his wife Maricel and a 9-year-old daughter, who both live in the Philippines, Turner said.
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For a complete listing of all soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, please visit this link: The Washington Post