Army Pfc. Kevin S.K. Wessel

Died April 19, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Newport, Ore.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed April 19 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his dismounted patrol in Baghdad. Also killed was Army Spc. Jacob M. Pfister.

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Coast Guard volunteer killed in Iraq

By Patricia Kime

Times staff writer

A soldier who was a volunteer with the Coast Guard Auxiliary died April 19 in Baghdad.

Pfc. Kevin Wessel, 20, of Newport, Ore., was killed when a car bomb detonated near his patrol. The explosion also killed Spc. Jacob Pfister, of Buffalo, N.Y.

Wessel, a member of Flotilla 69, in Yaquina Bay, Ore., had dreamed of joining the Coast Guard and becoming a surfman. He enlisted in the Army when he found out he’d have to wait up to two years to join the Coast Guard at Yaquina Bay, fellow auxiliary members said.

The Coast Guard Auxiliary is an all-volunteer organization that assists the Coast Guard in boating safety education, search and rescue, vessel safety inspections and patrols, maritime security and environmental protection.

The organization has nearly as many members — 35,000 — as the active-duty Coast Guard, which stands at roughly 40,000.

Flotilla members described Wessel as “gung-ho” and “willing to go out and do things.”

“He was a hell of a kid. He would have turned into a hell of a man,” said Auxiliary member Race Morningstar.

Wessel was raised in Hawaii and was a member of the Sea Scouts, a Boy Scouts of America program that teaches seamanship and leadership.

Wessel and Pfister were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

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Soldier raised in Hawaii killed in Iraq

HONOLULU — A man who joined the Army after attending school in Honolulu was killed this past week in Iraq.

Pfc. Kevin S.K. Wessel, 20, of Newport, Ore., and a fellow soldier died Tuesday in Baghdad when a car bomb detonated near their patrol, the Department of Defense said Friday.

Both were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Ga.

Wessel, the son of Paul and Lori Wessel of Honolulu, joined the Army after graduating from Assets School.

“The essence of being in the military to Kevin was being in combat, and it was extremely important for him to go there,” family friend Chuck Arthur said.

“His primary concern was to protect his teammates, to pull his share of the weight and more,” Arthur said.

Wessel also wanted to be a pilot, like his father, who flies for United Airlines.

In Oregon, Gov. Ted Kulongoski asked that flags fly at half-staff Monday in honor of Wessel.

“It is sad to hear of the death of another soldier from Oregon,” Kulongoski said. “We are seeing once again that war is taking a heavy toll on our nation’s servicemen and women, as well as their families and friends.

“With his family, we mourn his loss, and we keep them in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”

— Associated Press