Number 102

Kentucky's latest sacrifice to the bloody maw of permanent war in the Iraq/Afghanistan clusterfuck is Sgt. Jeremy Summers, 27, of Mt. Olivet.

From the Maysville Ledger-Independent:

A Bracken County family is grieving the loss of family member and soldier, Sgt. Jeremy R. Summers.

Summers, a U.S. Army soldier serving in Afghanistan was killed July 14, a family member confirmed Friday.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, Summers died after,"... enemy forces attacked his unit with small arms fire on July 13," in Paktika province.

He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell.

Summers, 27, son of Mike and Laura Summers, has been doing what he wanted to do, serving in the military, said his great-aunt Rita Salaimeh.

"He was a good boy," Salaimeh said.

As news of the loss spread, family and friends gathered at the Summers home and the home of his grandmother, Joyce Wagoner, in rural Bracken County.

Summers' parents flew to Baltimore, Md., to be there when his body arrives, Salaimeh said.

"They are meeting his casket," she said.

SNIP

Family members were notified of his death by two military personnel on Thursday night, she said.

Finding the family was slightly complicated by the location of the home and official address.

The residence is located in Bracken County, near Milford, but the mailing address is Mount Olivet, Salaimeh said.

"The (military personnel) stopped at our house (Thursday) night and asked where the family lived. They were not home, but they were eventually found and notified," said Alice Brumley, a neighbor to Summers' parents. "It is such a sad thing to have happen."

Details of the circumstances of his death were only shared with his parents, Salaimeh said.

Summers graduated from Bracken County High School and attended college before entering the army, Salaimeh said.

State Rep. Mike Denham expressed condolences to the Summers family.

"This just breaks your heart," Denham said.