Number 94

Kentucky's 94th sacrifice to the inexcusable, futile, catastrophic Iraq/Afghanistan clusterfuck died on his mother's birthday.

From the Courier:

On the day he would have turned 21, Radcliff resident Nathaniel Garvin's body was retrieved by his family at Dover Air Force Base after Garvin became the latest Kentucky soldier to die in Afghanistan.

Pfc. Nathaniel D. Garvin, 20, a helicopter mechanic assigned to the 101st Airborne Division's Combat Aviation Brigade, died Monday of injuries sustained from a noncombat-related incident in Kandahar, Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

No further details were provided. Two family members said military personnel were still investigating his death and even they weren't sure what happened.

"He was a very family-oriented guy," said Garvin's cousin, Dustin Thompson, 23, of Radcliff. "It's still hard to believe."

Garvin, who attended John Hardin High School, leaves his wife, Brittany Garvin, and 1-year-old daughter, Kayleigh, according to the Army. His Facebook page said he also was caring for a son. He is also survived by his father and mother, Clifton and Melanie Garvin of Elizabethtown, Ky., the military said.

Garvin grew up in Vine Grove, Ky., a kid who loved skateboarding, rock music and computers, his family said. He loved to play "Halo," a computer war game, and go fishing with his cousins. Most friends called him by his childhood nickname, "Tater."

"He found out he was going to be a dad. ... It was one of the most important things to him, and that's one of the reasons he joined up, to know his child would be taken care of (with) a steady job and benefits," Dustin Thompson said.

SNIP

Kyle Thompson, 20, of Vine Grove, who is also Garvin's cousin, said he spoke once with him in Afghanistan. Garvin told him the Army was rough and encouraged him to stay home and go to college.

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