The Department of Defense recently announced the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.
Specialist Kyle A. Coumas, 22, of Lockeford, California, died Oct. 21 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington. The 5-2 was the first Army brigade to deploy to Afghanistan with Strykers, and Spc. Coumas was the 18th member of his brigade lost in combat since it deployed in July.
Please take a few minutes to join us below the fold in remembering the life and honoring the service of this bright young infantryman who gave his all in the service of our country.
sources: Lodi News-Sentinel 1, Lodi News-Sentinel 2, Fresno Bee, news 10 abc, Oakland Tribune, Tacoma News-Tribune, Army Times, Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office
With a yellow ribbon tied to a tree in their front yard in Lockeford, California, Michael and Lori Coumas are not yet speaking publicly about the loss of their only child. But Kyle is fondly remembered by friends and teachers and others who knew him as he was growing up.
Kyle met his best friend Joe Gonzales in kindergarten when they both attended a private Christian academy in Acampo called Mokelumne River School. When they were kids, Gonzales and Coumas used to imagine what it would be like to be in the Army. "We used to play Army non-stop, for days on end," Gonzales said. The two remained friends, even though they went to different high schools. Gonzales remembered one particular morning after the two had stayed up all night playing video games: "My truck broke down. He probably only got an hour of two of sleep, but he drove an hour and a half to come pick me up. No matter what, if it was in his power to help you, he would," Gonzales said.
Another childhood friend from Mokelumne River School, Matt Aguire, met Kyle in first grade, and they also remained friends. Kyle transferred to Century Christian School in Lodi for seventh grade, and when he went to St. Mary's in Stockton for high school, he and Matthew carpooled to St. Mary's together.
Coumas played in the St. Mary's concert band and enjoyed competing in an annual band tournament at Disneyland. Music and video games were his two passions. He also enjoyed Chess Club. Friends from St. Mary's describe Coumas as a shy, intelligent young man with a quirky sense of humor. "He wasn't afraid to tell people what he thought," said classmate Amanda Drummond. "He wasn't really afraid of anything."
He was an avid reader of science fiction and fantasy novels, including Harry Potter, and was a big fan of "Star Wars" movies and books. Coumas admired Han Solo as his fictional hero, writing on his Facebook page: "Nobody beats his quick wit, quick draw, style of dress and the rest of his scoundrel traits."
Danny Dunne, an English teacher at St. Mary's High School and adviser to the Chess Club, remembered Coumas as "very bright, a bit shy and reserved (as a sophomore). I had him again as a senior, and he opened up much more. I noticed he was much more mature than your average senior." Dunne added that even in his sophomore year, Coumas wanted to serve in the armed forces, "His journal writing and drawings would be about the military."
After graduating fron St. Mary's in 2005. Coumas and Dunne kept in touch. With four daughters, Dunne treated Coumas like the son he never had. They corresponded regularly by e-mail and through the Facebook social networking site.
Two years out of High School, Kyle Coumas enlisted in the Army. Childhood friends said it wasn’t a surprise to anyone when he enlisted, because of Kyle's long lasting and deep interest in the military. According to unit records, Coumas began his term of active duty February 8, 2007. On June 18, 2007, he reported to Fort Lewis, Washington. Matthew's mother Liz Aguire used to take Matt to visit Kyle when he was stationed at Fort Lewis. "He was very serious about what he was doing — a nice kid who would give the shirt off his back," Liz Aguire said. "I still think of him as a kid."
The 5th SBCT was originally scheduled to deploy to Iraq last summer, but then it was announced that the 5th SBCT was being diverted to Afghanistan as part of a buildup to help squash an increasingly complex and stubborn insurgency. So Coumas was sent to Afghanistan in July 2009, after saying goodbye to Matt Aguire and other friends at a barbecue in Lakewood. It was his first deployment.
During his short tenure of service, he earned several honors, awards and decorations, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Army Service Ribbon. Coumas’ military education includes the Military Occupational Specialty 11B: Infantryman qualification course.
Angela Dunne, one of Danny's daughters, who was in the same high school graduating class at St. Mary's as Kyle Coumas, last communicated with the 22-year-old Army specialist during a brief online exchange on Facebook. "It seemed like he was having the time of his life over there," said Angela Dunne, who said Coumas boasted of his accomplishments in Afghanistan. "He was really proud of what he was doing."
News of Kyle's death trickled slowly through Lockeford and the surrounding towns. "It's upsetting. I just can't imagine," said Anna Sheehe, an employee at the post office from which Coumas' mother Lori sent her son a care package just last week, "You read about this a lot," Sheehe said, "but when you know somebody — I've got kids. I just couldn't deal with that."
Calling it an "untimely and tragic death," Fritz Collier, a math teacher at St. Mary's, said he vividly remembered teaching Coumas during his freshman and sophomore years. Collier choked up as he said that Coumas was extremely smart to the point sometimes he seemed bored in class. "He had a profound sense of humor. It went over everyone else's heads, sometimes even over mine," Collier said.
Danny Dunne arrived at school Thursday morning and found an e-mail informing him of Coumas' death. "At St. Mary's, we pray every day," Dunne said. "We said a special prayer for Kyle. I just talked to him two days ago on Facebook. He was doing pretty well. He seemed to be proud of what he was doing. He was happy. Two days later, he's gone. It's difficult to take."
"It definitely was a shock; he was way too young to go," Matt Aguire said. "Losing a friend who I've known since first grade sent me into a state of shock, and it was only yesterday I realized this guy isn't coming back. He was a good man, and I hope his memory will live on. I think our community as a whole is losing a person who is very valuable to it. These people don't come along very often."
Lori Coumas requested that Kyle's best friend Joe Gonzales, who is in the Marine Corps, be part of the honor guard for her son. If the request is approved, Gonzales will fly to Afghanistan to bring Coumas home.
After finding out about his friend's death, Gonzales, who is stationed in North Carolina, said he didn't want to believe it at first until he called Coumas' mother. "There is no way to describe it. Your best friend is here and then he's gone. You always think you have more time, but life happens and the time you thought you had gets ripped away," Gonzales said.
Funeral services are pending. Spc. Kyle Coumas is on the Patriot Guard Riders watch list.
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I Got the News Today is a diary series intended to honor service members who have died as a result of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; its title is a reminder that almost every day a military family gets the terrible news about a loved one. Diaries about the fallen usually appear two days after their names are officially released, which allows time for the IGTNT team to find and tell their stories.
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