Mohsin Abbas Naqvi
First Lieutenant, U.S. Army

Mohsin Abbas Naqvi was born in Pakistan on 27 July 1982 and came to the United States when he was 8 years old. His family settled in the Hudson Valley city of Newburgh, NY, where Mohsin grew up and went to school. His father, Nazar Naqvi, said he never questioned the allegiance of his son. “When he came to this country, he took an oath to be loyal to the United States,” Nazar said, “First he was American, then he was Muslim.” Mohsin became a naturalized U.S. citizen when he was 16.

Mohsin graduated from Newburgh Free Academy and could hardly wait to join the U.S. Army. His father, Nazar, persuaded him to go to college first. By 11 September 2001, Mohsin already had two years of college and enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on 15 September, four days after the terrorist attacks. He fought in the invasion of Iraq in 2003. When he came home in 2003, he finished his Bachelor’s and earned a Master’s in Computer Science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. He then re-enlisted for active duty and a tour in Afghanistan as a First Lieutenant. According to Nazar Naqvi, his son was not a Muslim soldier - he was a soldier who was a Muslim.

During part of his military service, Naqvi was assigned to the Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 11th Infantry Regiment at Fort Benning, GA, where he worked under the command of Captain Carl Purgerson. “Lt. Naqvi was my XO (executive officer) for about six months,” Purgerson said. “He made it a joy to come to work; very dedicated and a true patriot to the core.”

Mohsin and Raazia were married on 16 June and he left for his unit at Fort Benning the following day. On 29 June, he deployed to Afghanistan. “Before he left for Afghanistan, I asked him if he was scared,” his brother Hassan said. “He said he wasn’t, because that was where he was needed most.” As an interpreter, in Afghanistan Mohsin would converse with prisoners of war in his native language, Urdu [he learned Urdu from his Pakistani-American parents while growing up in Newburgh], but his common ground with the captured Taliban fighters ended there. The version of Islam they were preaching didn’t resemble his own, he told his family. “As far as he was concerned, he wasn’t fighting against Muslims,” Hassan said.

On 17 September 2008, while on patrol in Gerdia Seria, Afghanistan, 1LT Mohsin Abbas Naqvi died of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered a roadside improvised explosive device (IED). Also killed was SGT Joshua W. Harris, CPT Bruce E. Hays and SSG Jason A. Vazquez. Mohsin’s uncle, Anwar Naqvi, said his nephew died defending against acts of terror and a violent interpretation of Islam that the vast majority of Muslims denounce.

His 20-year old wife, Raazia, and her family are from the Albany, NY, area.

Medals, Awards and Badges (Partial List)

Bronze Star Medal (Merit)
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal with Bronze Star
Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Bronze Star
Iraq Campaign Medal with Bronze Star
Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Army Overseas Service Ribbon
NATO ISAF
Combat Infantryman Badge

Burial

First Lieutenant Mohsin Abbas Naqvi is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Colonie, Albany County, NY.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/29891918/mohsin-abbas-naqvi