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Obituary: Patrick F. Kutschbach / Green Beret from Kennedy killed in Afghanistan combat
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Army Staff Sgt. Patrick F. Kutschbach, a Green Beret from Kennedy who was killed in combat in Afghanistan, will be buried Monday.
Sgt. Kutschbach, 25, died Nov. 10 after enemy fighters fired a rocket-propelled grenade at his Humvee while he was on patrol in the Tagab Valley.
Staff Sgt. Kutschbach
"He considered it an honor to serve the country. He loved what he was doing," said his uncle, David Huffner, a spokesman for the family.
Sgt. Kutschbach graduated from Montour High School in 2000. During the next three years he worked as a route manager for a food-service company and also had a job with Kennedy.
As he assessed what he should do with his life, he decided he would serve in the military. He wanted the most challenging assignment he could find, relatives said, so his goal was to become part of the elite special forces known as Green Berets.
He enlisted in the Army in October 2003 and received the coveted Green Beret the next year, said an Army spokesman at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Sgt. Kutschbach became part of Company B, 1st Battalion, 10th Special Forces Division, based in Stuttgart, Germany. The Army deployed him to Afghanistan in September, where he spent the last six weeks of his life.
Sgt. Kutschbach, the youngest of three sons, was highly competitive, his uncle said. In boyhood, he loved volleyball and softball. After excelling in volleyball at Montour High, he volunteered as a coach at his old school.
He found the Army and service in wartime to be new outlets for his competitive fire.
"He was very single-minded about going special forces and earning the Green Beret," Mr. Huffner said.
Sgt. Kutschbach was married in April 2005. He and his wife, Ginger, have a 15-month-old son, Bastian.
"He is my own personal hero and was a model man even before he joined the military," his wife said.
A Mass will be celebrated at 11:30 a.m. Monday in St. Louise de Marillac Church, 320 McMurray Road, Upper St. Clair. Sgt. Kutschbach will be buried in Bethel Cemetery in Bethel Park.
First Published November 17, 2007 5:17 am
