DOD Identifies Army Casualty
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado, 25, of San Jose, Calif., died May 23 in Zharay, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
For more information the media may contact the Joint Base Lewis-McChord public affairs office at 253-967-0152 or 0148.
 |
| 2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado, 25, of San Jose was killed in Afghanistan in May 2012 by an improvised explosive device. This photo was taken by family members at a party held before he left for the Army. Courtesy of Andrea Velasquez Kessler |
---
Growing
up, Army 2nd Lt. Travis A. Morgado often traveled from his mother's home
in Washington state to spend summers with his father in San Jose. But
this time, it was his father's turn to make a journey, a painful one, to
Dover Air Force Base in Delaware -- to wait for his son's body.
Morgado, 25, was killed Wednesday by a roadside bomb in the Zhari district of Afghanistan when insurgents attacked his patrol.
Speaking
tearfully from her Washington home, Morgado's mother, Andrea Kessler,
said she had last spoken to her son just before Mother's Day. He told
her they were going on a few patrols that could be dangerous and tense
at times. Since then, they had swapped emails, as recently as Tuesday.
"We were just saying silly stuff, you know," said Kessler, who is remarried.
Kessler found out about her son's death when two soldiers showed up at her front door Wednesday.
"It was the most horrible sight I have ever seen," she said. "How could you not know why they were there?"
Kessler
said Morgado's father, Joe, on Thursday was waiting for her son's body
to be flown in. She said Morgado had large, loving families in both
Washington and San Jose, where he spent his first five years.
"We all get along and like each other," Kessler said.
According to the Defense Department, Morgado was slain while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Though Morgado earned a degree in civil engineering from the University of
Washington, he decided to enlist
in the military because he was eager to help people by giving "back
something to his country," his mother said. "He said he felt
like he was so lucky and so many people weren't," Kessler said. "He
wanted to do something to help, to contribute."
She said he
excelled on the Army track, and completed Officer Candidate School, Army
Airborne School and the course to become a Ranger. Morgado's tour in
Afghanistan was his first deployment. He was attached to a battalion
with the 2nd Infantry Division at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
"Then he went there on March 20, seven days before his 25th birthday," she said. "Just two months he was there."
At her home on Thursday, where Morgado grew up, Kessler was surrounded by Morgado's many friends.
"People
are telling stories, remembering him, crying, looking at photo albums,"
she said. "They're talking about how they would get together and play
basketball tournaments. They would have games, all their friends would
come to play right here at the local park.
"He was just the best person growing up," she said. "He was growing up to be such a good person."
In
addition to his parents, Morgado is survived by his younger brothers
Eric, 24, and Carlos, 22, as well as a stepbrother and two stepsisters.
"He was the oldest," Kessler said. "Everybody loved him and looked up to him."
---
from lakewoodpatch:
(Editor's note: This comes from the Department of Defense and Joint Base Lewis-McChord)
The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Second Lt. Travis A. Morgado, 25, of San Jose, CA, died May 23 in
Zharay, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his
patrol with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 5th
Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd
Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA.
According to unit records, 2nd Lt. Morgado entered the
Army in November 2010, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant
through the Officer Candidate School (OCS) in May 2011. Following OCS, 2nd Lt.
Morgado went on to attend the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership
Course at Fort Benning, Ga., as well as the U.S. Army Airborne School,
and the Ranger Course.
He was assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord in March 2012, and upon arrival 2nd Lt. Morgado was assigned to 5-20 Infantry, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. The unit deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in December. This was 2nd Lt. Morgado’s first deployment.
2nd Lt. Morgado’s civilian and military education includes
two years of college, and the Infantry Basic Officer Leadership Course
(2011), U.S. Army Airborne School (2011), and the Ranger Course (2011).
His awards and decorations include National Defense Service Medal,
Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army
Service Ribbon, Overseas Ribbon, NATO Medal, Parachutist Badge, and
Ranger Tab.
On behalf of the entire Joint Base Lewis-McChord military and
civilian community, we extend our sincere condolences to the family and
friends of 2nd Lt. Morgado.
Washington Time
Kabul Time
London Time
