Army Pfc. Jason M. Kropat

Died March 9, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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25, of White Lake, N.Y.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died March 9 at COP Chergataw, Afghanistan, from wounds sustained when a suicide bomber attacked his unit. Also killed was Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson.

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2 Fort Campbell soldiers killed in Afghanistan

By Chris Smith

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle

The Defense Defense announced March 11 the deaths of two 101st Airborne Division soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died March 9 in Khowst province, Afghanistan, from wounds suffered when a suicide bomber attacked his unit.

They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

Killed were Sgt. Jonathan J. Richardson, 24, of Bald Knob, Ark., and Pfc. Jason M. Kropat, 25, of White Lake, N.Y., DoD said in a news release.

Richardson was a fire support specialist assigned to C Company. He joined the Army in June 2006 and arrived at Fort Campbell in January 2007, according to a news release from post.

His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Iraq Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon; Army Service Ribbon; Overseas Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Richardson is survived by his wife, Rachel Richardson, of Clarksville; mother Sharon Dunigan, of Bridgeport, W.Va.; and father, Jeffery Richardson, of Germany.

Kropat was an infantryman assigned to C Company. He joined the Army in November 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in March 2009, according to a news release from post.

His awards and decorations include: Army Commendation Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; and Weapons Qualification, M4, expert.

Kropat is survived by his parents, Kathleen and Glenn Kropat, of Fredericksburg, Texas.

A memorial service for the fallen soldiers will be held in Afghanistan.

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Soldiers remembered by Campbell community

By Jake Lowary

The (Clarksville, Tenn.) Leaf-Chronicle

The fellow soldiers of Pfc. Jason Kropat will remember him as “the battle buddy that everyone wanted,” and Sgt. Jonathan Richardson was the “kind of leader soldiers strive to emulate.”

Kropat and Richardson were killed March 11 in Khost province, Afghanistan, when a suicide bomber attacked his unit.

Both were members of C Company, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

First Lt. John Limauro, the company’s executive officer, said Kropat was “an excellent soldier in every capacity,” and was the first to cheer up his fellow soldiers.

“Jason was always quick with a joke when everyone was down and the situation was undesirable,” Limauro said.

Limauro said Kropat, who came to Fort Campbell in March 2009, was also proactive in his efforts to spread the cheer.

“Jason was the battle buddy that everyone wanted,” Limauro said. “His ability to see his comrades down without words would allow him to cheer anyone up no matter the time of day.”

Limauro said Richardson, as a noncommissoned officer, was an example for the rest of his comrades.

“His professionalism and appearance set the standard for others to follow,” he said.

Richardson died after being medevaced from the scene.

Richardson’s and Kropat’s deaths are the second and third for the Rakkasans, who took over their area of operations late last month.

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Soldier was most at home in the outdoors

The Associated Press

Jason Kropat loved the outdoors. Many of the activities he did outside centered on White Lake, which flows alongside the New York hamlet of the same name where Kropat lived.

“Everyone who knew him knew he loved White Lake,” said his former girlfriend, Shannon Kinne. “All of us who were friends and close to him all have some memories of him on White Lake, be it fishing ... trying to wake board off the back of the boats (or) sitting on the porch drinking a beer relaxing, watching the people go by on their boats.”

His fishing skills were chronicled in the local newspaper two years ago — a photo of him proudly displaying a 22-inch trout.

Kropat enlisted in the Army in November 2008, partly to prove that he could succeed there, Kinne said. He was deployed to Afghanistan in January and was killed in combat March 9. He died in Khowst province after an attack on his unit. He was assigned to Fort Campbell.

“He understood the cause. He believed in what he was fighting for,” said his sister, Kimberley.

Kropat attended Monticello High School and later earned his GED.

Other survivors include his parents, Glenn and Kathleen Kropat, and sisters Kristina and Courtney.