R.I.P. - Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Brodsky

DOD Identifies Navy Casualty
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a sailor who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Brodsky, 33, of Tamarac, Fla., died July 21 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, from injuries related to a dismounted improvised explosive device blast.  He was assigned to Navy Region Southwest Security Detachment, San Diego.

            For further information related to this release, contact commander, Navy Region Southwest Public Affairs at 619-532-1430.

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from kpbs:

July 24, 2012 | 6:44 a.m. | By Beth Ford Roth
 

San Diego-Based Military Working Dog Handler Killed (Video)

Military Working Dog handler, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael J. Brodsky, 33, died July 21 from injuries sustained in an IED blast in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Brodsky was assigned to the Navy Region Southwest Security Detachment, San Diego.

According to a blog post by writer Aonghas Crowe, Brodsky suffered his ultimately fatal injuries much earlier in the month:

"Late Saturday night (7 July 2012) in an undisclosed area of Afghanistan Mike was on patrol. His unit started taking fire. He took his dog Jackson and put him back in the truck as he was trained to do, and then returned to the fight. It was then that he stepped on a pressure plate."

Crowe reports Brodsky was later flown to a military hospital Landsthul, Germany.

Brodksy's friend Nicole Arbelo set up two Facebook pages in support of Brodsky and his family. She also made a tribute video to Brodsky, which I've posted above.

Posted in: Afghanistan, fallen heros, Germany, Kandahar Province, Operation Enduring Freedom, San Diego