Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Kevin Grieco

Army National Guard Staff Sergeant Kevin D. Grieco, 35, of Bartlett, Illinois, served with the 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard. He was killed on October 27, 2008, in Baghlan, Afghanistan, when a suicide bomber detonated explosives as his team prepared to enter a building.

SSG Grieco grew up in a military family, living at installations in the United States and Germany. An Eagle Scout, he graduated from Waynesville High School in Missouri in 1992 and then served five years in the Navy followed by eight years in the Navy Reserve. He earned a bachelor’s degree in outdoor recreation and leadership from Aurora University in 2004. Seeking greater responsibility and hoping to become an officer, SSG Grieco joined the Illinois Army National Guard in 2006. His unit deployed to Afghanistan in 2008 to provide security for Afghan police training.

SSG Grieco was remembered as a deeply patriotic and dedicated serviceman who inspired those serving beside him. His wife said he was “extremely dedicated to his military career” and firmly believed in serving and defending his country.

SSG Grieco was survived by his wife and two children.