Fallen Soldier: David P. Mahlenbrock

Specialist David P. Mahlenbrock, 20, of Maple Shade, N.J., was assigned to the 65th Engineer Battalion, 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. On December 3, 2004, he was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated as he was clearing a route in Kirkuk, Iraq.

SPC Mahlenbrock joined the U.S. Army after graduating high school in 2002 and left for Iraq the following January, planning a career in the military. “Devotion was written all over David’s life,” said the Rev. Carl E Joecks. SPC Mahlenbrock received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star among other awards.

When SPC Mahlenbrock became a father in September 2004, he threw himself into that role with passion. When he returned home on leave to see his wife and new daughter, then about a week old, he could not put her down. “He threw a lifetime of fatherly love into that two-week leave,” said Joeks. “He always had an effect on those who met him. He would do crazy things just to get someone to smile.”

SPC Mahlenbrock’s daughter is a Folds of Honor Scholarship recipient.