Army Staff Sgt. Randy M. Haney

Died September 6, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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27, of Orlando, Fla.; was assigned to 2nd Special Troops Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Sept. 6 in Nangarhar, Afghanistan of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit using small arms and rocket-propelled grenades.

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Enjoyed working on his Honda Civic

The Associated Press

When Randy M. Haney got a care package filled with candy while serving in Afghanistan, he wasn’t the one who ate it. He gave it to Afghan children, his mother said.

“He was very proud of the fact that he helped people and that he was serving his country,” added his mother-in-law, Cindy Alexopoulos. “He cared a lot about the kids and trying to help people who were there.”

Haney, 27, of Orlando, Fla., was killed Sept. 6 when enemy forces attacked his unit. He joined the military in search of a stable job after he earned his GED and had trouble finding jobs. He was a military police officer assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

Haney had served a tour in Afghanistan from 2005-06, and in Iraq from 2007-08. But he was ready to come back to civilian life with his wife and two young children. And he was especially excited to work on his speedy Honda Civic, which he was always taking apart and putting back together.

His family said he was also a jokester who decided he would be in charge of boosting morale in his military unit.

Haney is survived by his wife, Katie, and two children, 5-year-old Aubry and 18-month-old Austin.