Thursday, March 29, 2012

R.I.P. - Sgt. Joseph D’Augustine

DOD Identifies Marine Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Sgt. Joseph D’Augustine, 29, of Waldwick, N.J., died March 27 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.  He was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.

            For additional background information on this Marine, news media representatives may contact the 2nd Marine Logistics Group public affairs office at 910-451-3538.

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D'Augustine is survived by his parents, Anthony and Patricia, and sisters, Nicole, Jennifer and Michele and her husband, Len Kulesa of Mahwah. He also had two nephews and one niece.
As of 3:30 p.m. March 28, the Department of Defense had not released information surrounding D'Augustine's death.
Joseph D'Augustine left for boot camp the day after his graduation from Waldwick High School in 2001, his sisters said. This was his fourth tour...

"We loved him. He was a great brother, great uncle and great son," said Michele Kulesa. "My parents were really proud of him. His nephews looked up to him and couldn't wait for him to come home. He was a happy guy. God just took him too soon."
The family said they planned to leave in several hours for Delaware on March 28 to await the arrival of D'Augustine's remains.
D'Augustine was a member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and belonged to Waldwick VFW Post 1049 and American Legion Nightengale Post 57, according to VFW commander Michael Echevarria.
"Not only did he want to be a Marine, but he wanted to be wherever the action was," Echevarria said in an interview March 28. "That's true of him with everything. In high school he was a hell of a linebacker and he was a great wrestler."
Echevarria described D'Augustine as someone who "wasn't happy unless everyone around him was laughing."
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