Army Staff Sgt. Ergin V. Osman

Died May 26, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

35, of Jacksonville, N.C., assigned to the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 26 of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Also killed were 1st Lt. John M. Runkle, Staff Sgt. Edward D. Mills Jr., Sgt. Thomas A. Bohall, Spc. Adam J. Patton and Sgt. Louie A. Ramos Velazquez.

Sgt. raised in metro Detroit dies in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

HARRISON TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A 35-year-old soldier who grew up in Detroit's northern suburbs and who was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan was killed in an insurgent attack that also claimed the lives of five of his comrades from Fort Campbell, Ky.

Staff Sgt. Ergin V. Osman was one of six soldiers from the Army's 101st Airborne Ranger Pathfinders based at Fort Campbell who died when an improvised explosive device hit their unit May 26 in Kandahar province, the Pentagon announced.

Also killed in the attack were 1st Lt. John M. Runkle, 27, of West Salem, Ohio; Staff Sgt. Edward D. Mills Jr., 29, of New Castle, Pa.; Sgt. Thomas A. Bohall, 25, of Bel Aire, Kan.; Spc. Adam J. Patton, 21, of Port Orchard, Wash.; and Sgt. Louie A. Ramos Velazquez, 39, of Camuy, Puerto Rico.

Osman grew up in Macomb County's Harrison Township, then moved to Sterling Heights at age 16, The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemens reported. His former wife, Mouna Osman, and their sons — Aidan, 9, and Zeren, 5 — live in St. Clair Shores.

Osman joined the Marines, then switched to the Army in 2007.

"He died doing what he loved to do," Mouna Osman said. "He loved the military and everything it stood for."

Aidan Osman remembered good times with his father and told WDIV he wants to follow in his footsteps.

"We went down to Fort Campbell and shot targets with a BB gun," Aidan said.

Aidan and Zeren displayed U.S. flags on the front lawn of their family's home along with a poster that has the message "Miss You Daddy" with a hand-drawn image of their father.

"My youngest, Zeren, was upset," their mother said. "He said, 'My dad isn't going to see my ball games or see my kindergarten graduation,' but I told him, 'Now your dad can see everything you do all the time.'"

Osman also is survived by his wife, Pfc. Kristin Osman of Hopkinsville, Ky. His mother, Sarah Osman, lives in Harrison Township.

‘That’s what he was born and bred to do’

By Tammy Stables Battaglia
Detroit Free Press

Family and friends of Staff Sgt. Ergin V. Osman say the soldier who grew up in Detroit’s suburbs was “born and bred” for the service.

Osman, 35, of Jacksonville, N.C., was one of six soldiers killed May 26 after Afghan insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device in Kandahar province. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 159th Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), based at Ft. Campbell, Ky., according to the Defense Department.

“That’s what he was born and bred to do — he was very proud of it,” said family friend Geri Witt, 67, of Macomb Township. She said she last saw Osman during the Christmas holidays when he visited his mother, Sarah Osman, at her home in Harrison Township, with his wife, Pfc. Kristin Osman.

His father was a Green Beret during the Vietnam War, Witt said.

“I think he somewhat followed in his father’s footsteps,” she said. “He was a very wonderful young man.”

Osman’s two sons, Aidan, 9, and Zeren, 5, live in St. Clair Shores with his former wife, Mouna Osman. Two soldiers came to their door bringing the news, she said.

“They explained that their daddy was a hero and he was fighting the war for everybody,” Mouna Osman said. “It was nice.”

Born Aug. 2, 1975, Osman grew up in Sterling Heights and Harrison Township, and attended Sterling Heights High School. He joined the Marine Corps in 1997, and served for 10 years before enlisting in the Army, his mother said.

Flags lowered in memory of fallen staff sgt.

The Associated Press

LANSING, Mich. — Gov. Rick Snyder ordered U.S. flags throughout Michigan to be lowered to half-staff on June 6 in honor of a soldier who died in Afghanistan.

Army Staff Sgt. Ergin V. Osman, 35, who grew up in Harrison Township and Sterling Heights in Macomb County, was killed along with five other soldiers by an improvised explosive device May 26.

He was a member of the Army’s 101st Airborne Ranger Pathfinders based at Fort Campbell, Ky.

U. of Mich. scholarship honors fallen soldier

The Associated Press

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — Family members have teamed with the University of Michigan to establish a scholarship fund in honor of a fallen soldier from Macomb County.

The Staff Sgt. Ergin V. Osman Scholarship will provide financial support for a disabled military veteran whose injuries were suffered during hostile action. The scholarship also will be available to the children, spouse or committed partner of the wounded veteran.

Osman was killed in 2011 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.

Sara Osman told The Macomb Daily of Mount Clemensshe wanted to make sure her son's "legacy would never be forgotten."

Fern Hill Golf Club in Clinton Township will host a golf outing Sept. 13 to raise money for the scholarship fund.