The Coast Guard’s first combat fatality since the Vietnam war was Petty Officer 3rd Class Nathan B. Bruckenthal, a Long Island, N.Y., native and the son of the police chief from the quaint waterfront village of Northport. Bruckenthal, 24, a damage controlman, died Sunday from injuries sustained in the attack. Fellow Coast Guardsman Petty Officer 3rd Class Joseph T. Ruggiero, 23, a boatswain’s mate, from Revere, Mass., also was injured and is recovering in a hospital in Kuwait. The two men were assigned to Law Enforcement Detachment 403 from Tactical Law Enforcement Team south, based in Miami . “I sincerely hope that his family and friends can find a little comfort knowing that he died a hero,” Vice Adm. James D. Hull, the Coast Guard’s Atlantic Area Commander, headquartered in Portsmouth, said of Bruckenthal. The son of Northport Police Chief Ric Bruckenthal, Bruckenthal lived in Dania, Fla., with his wife, Patricia, who is three months pregnant with their first child. Bruckenthal enlisted six years ago, relatives said, and this was his second tour in Iraq. About 300 Coast Guard personnel are assigned to Operation Iraqi Freedom from four 110-foot Coast Guard cutters, a port security unit and two law enforcement detachments.
Originally posted by Hawklore We need a salute frown and a salute smile, and also a salute stern face..
