| Joeseph Suponcic |
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Staff Sergeant Joseph E. Suponcic, originally from Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, enlisted in the United States Army in 1991 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. His early assignments included service as an Infantryman with the 25th Infantry Division (Light) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and later with the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In 1998, Staff Sergeant Suponcic graduated as the Distinguished Honor Graduate from the Special Forces Qualification Course and subsequently served as a Communications Sergeant in the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Carson, Colorado. He participated in deployments supporting the Multinational Force and Observers Peacekeeping Force in the Sinai Peninsula and Operation Joint Guardian in Kosovo. His numerous awards and decorations include: the Legion of Merit, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal (second award), Army Achievement Medal (third award), Army Good Conduct Medal (second award), National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal, NCO Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Army Overseas Service Ribbon, Kosovo Campaign Medal, Multi-National Forces and Observers Medal, Expert Infantryman Badge, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Parachutist Badge, and Air Assault Badge. Staff Sergeant Suponcic completed extensive military education, including the Basic Noncommissioned Officer Course, Basic Airborne Course, Special Forces Qualification Course, Ranger School, Air Assault School, and the Special Forces Mountaineering Course. While serving as a liaison interpreter with the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Kosovo, Staff Sergeant Suponcic was fatally wounded on December 15, 1999, when the HMMWV in which he was a passenger struck an anti-tank mine. At the age of twenty-six, he became the first American to lose his life in Kosovo as a result of hostile action. |
