Decorated Green Beret killed in Afghanistan attack
By Charlie Coon, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Thursday, November 15, 2007



BÖBLINGEN, Germany — A 25-year-old Green Beret based in Stuttgart died Saturday during a combat operation in eastern Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach of Company B, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) was a weapons sergeant with Operational Detachment Alpha Team 021.

Kutschbach was conducting combat operations with his team when his vehicle was attacked with rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire, according to press releases from the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.

The attack occurred when Kutschbach was working in the southern part of the much-contested Tagab Valley in Kapisa province, about 30 miles north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. He deployed earlier this year as a member of the International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan.

Two other soldiers with Kutschbach’s unit were wounded in the attack and are currently hospitalized at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, officials said. The incident occurred during a patrol with Afghan forces. Maj. Kelley Smith of 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group said that the Americans were in a Humvee, which was hit by enemy fire.

Kutschbach had deployed on previous operations, but this was his first deployment to Afghanistan, according to the command.

Kutschbach enlisted in the Army in October 2003 and attended infantry basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. He attended the Special Forces Qualification Course at Fort Bragg, N.C., and became a Green Beret in 2004. He was assigned to his current unit in December 2006.

His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

At least 102 U.S. troops have been killed in action this year in Afghanistan, according to The Associated Press, making this the deadliest year there for Americans since the 2001 invasion.

Kutschbach was a native of the Pittsburgh suburb of McKees Rocks, Pa. He was a 2000 graduate of Montour High School in Robinson Township, where he was an all-state volleyball player.

A memorial service has been tentatively scheduled for Nov. 27 in the Stuttgart area, but the location and time have not been decided, according to a spokeswoman from the U.S. European Command.

Kutschbach is survived by his wife, Ginger; son, Bastian; father, David; mother, Debbie Huffner; and brothers David and Andrew.

May You Rest in Piece

RIP

RIP

Rest easy.

RIP my friend.

C.R.

that was my boy .... much love
rest easy

its depressing that life like this gets taken away....this will stay in my mind. im sorry for his family and his teams loss. RIP

You are truley a warrior. Rest In Peace

one more time from me.....

i love you very much... every november 10th i will light one for you.

you were a fighter and an operator and you fell too early....

one of many more times...

i love you patrick, i always will my brother..

de oppresso liber

den

Follow-up.

Stuttgart-based Green Beret remembered as strong, steady
By Charlie Coon, Stars and Stripes
Mideast edition, Wednesday, November 28, 2007


BÖBLINGEN, Germany — Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach was remembered Tuesday as a strong, calm and reliable Green Beret who gave his life fighting for a cause in which he believed.

About 300 people, including many soldiers wearing Army dress-green uniforms, filled Panzer chapel in honor of the 25-year-old, who was killed Nov. 10 in Kapisa province, Afghanistan.

His vehicle was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire. Two other soldiers were wounded.

Kutschbach, of Company B, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, had deployed earlier this year as a member of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force-Afghanistan.

Kutschbach’s widow, Ginger, and his mother, Debbie Huffner, were given gifts, among them a military shadow box that held the soldier’s awards and ribbons, including the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

“It’s a healing process for the unit, a chance for the unit to think about their loss,” Maj. Kelly Smith said of the service. “But it’s also a chance to show his family and loved ones how important his service was to the unit.”

Toward the end of the service, a last role call was called. Outside, a rifle volley was fired as mourners inside sat in silence. A few muffled sobs could be heard as taps was played. Some dabbed their eyes with tissues.

The somber, on-post tribute near Stuttgart contrasted with one held for Kutschbach on Nov. 19 in Upper St. Clair, Pa., a suburb of Pittsburgh.

It was there where Kutschbach’s funeral procession proceeded down a street lined with flag-waving residents and through firetrucks’ extended ladders that formed an archway.

The Patriot Guard Riders, a national group of motorcyclists, helped provide escort. At Bethel Cemetery in nearby Bethel Park, many of the headstones had been adorned with U.S. flags prior to the procession’s arrival.

There were news cameras, police, a local congressman and two generals, according to one of his Green Beret unit mates who went to Pittsburgh and returned to Germany to deliver Tuesday’s eulogy.

“I could barely compose myself,” said the soldier, who asked that his name not be published. “I took comfort in their presence because everyone there meant it. Everyone there respected him.

“His family, friends and whoever was able to be in Pittsburgh seemed to be paying attention. It made all of us who were involved prouder than ever to be U.S. servicemembers.”

RIP SSG Kutschbach.