Army 1st Lt. Joseph J. Theinert

Died June 4, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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24, of Sag Harbor, N.Y.; a New York Army National Guardsman assigned to the 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died June 4 in Hondu Kalacheh, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device during a dismounted patrol.

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Ordered his men away from bomb site

The Associated Press

Even as a little boy, Joe Theinert knew he wanted to be a soldier. Growing up on the east end of Long Island, he enjoyed playing army games in the back yard with his brothers.

As he got older, he participated in other activities that hinted at his military interest — hunting and paintball.

He joined the New York Army National Guard and then volunteered for active duty, based at Fort Drum, N.Y. His unit was sent to Afghanistan. Before he left, his little brother, James, asked if he was scared. Theinert simply replied, “Nope, born to it.”

Theinert, 24, died June 4 while disabling a bomb near Kandahar. Because he ordered his 20-man unit to retreat, no one else was injured or killed.

Theinert was a graduate of the State University of New York at Albany with a bachelor’s degree in history. He also completed the Siena College ROTC program.

An entry in a book Theinert started compiling in high school explains his interest in military service.

“There is nothing glorious about war, but I will go into it to keep the people I love away from it,” he wrote.

Survivors also include his parents, James Theinert and Chrystyna Kestler.