Army Staff Sergeant Kevin James Kessler, 32, of Canton, OH, died Monday in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He died with four other soldiers from the Fort Carson unit in the attack.

Kessler enlisted in the U.S. Army as a Motor Transport Operator on 2 June 2004. He attended Basic Training at Fort Sill, OK, then Advanced Individual Training at Fort Bliss, TX. Upon completion of his training he reported to Fort Stewart, GA, where he was assigned to 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment. He deployed to Iraq with the unit in January 2007 and served two tours.

In November 2009, Kessler was reassigned to Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 66th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, at Fort Carson, CO, to serve as a squad leader and later, as a section sergeant. His unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the early summer of 2010.

He had been awarded the Army Commendation Medal with Valor Device and the Army Commendation Medal.

Honors

"He wanted to serve America," said his sister, Emily Lightner, the Canton Repository reported. His stepmother, Sue Kessler, added: "If [his troops] were there, he wanted to be there with them. He wanted to watch their backs, like they would watch his."

Kessler was a 1996 graduate of East Canton High School, serving as class vice president.

His family threw him a party before he left the country in early July. It was a celebration, of sorts, the Repository reported. His wife, Adrian, had found out she was pregnant, and they shared the news with the entire family.