Army Spc. Steven L. Dupont

Died October 24, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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20, of Lafayette, La.; assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died Oct. 24 at Rangrizan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

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Community affected by Dupont’s death

By Bruce Brown

The (Lafayette, La.) Advertiser

LAFAYETTE, La. — Operation Enduring Freedom became more than a mention on the evening news this week for students and staff at Comeaux High School, as 2008 CHS graduate Steven Dupont was killed in action in Afghanistan on Oct. 24.

“It brings the war home,” math instructor Victoria Koerber said. “It’s not just something students read about any more. They start to experience it first-hand when you lose someone who’s a student at your school.”

The school observed a moment of silence and lowered the American flag to half mast Oct. 26 to honor Dupont, 20, who was a member of the ROTC unit at Comeaux before joining the Army.

Dupont died in Rangrizan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive device.

He was assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, out of Vilseck, Germany.

“He was a good kid — the kind you remember, for the right reasons,” Principal Joe Craig said. “He was the kind of kid you like to have around.

“I remember the first time I saw him was when he was going through the lunch line when he was younger. In time, I got to know him. By the time he finished up, he was one of the leaders of the school.”

“It’s a shame,” Comeaux ROTC Commander John Romann said. “I didn’t know Steven, but his younger brother Robert is in ROTC here at the school. I know the mom and dad, and both young men come from a fine family.”

“They came here five years ago, after Hurricane Katrina,” Craig said. “The kids who ran with Steven and Robert are taking it hard. The first thing we heard was yesterday morning, from some of the ROTC kids, and they were clearly upset. This senior class remembers him.”

“At some point, we will talk with the family and see if they are interested in us finding some way to honor his memory,” Craig said.