A Green Beret from Joint Base Lewis-McChord was killed by small-arms fire in Afghanistan on Saturday – the third soldier from his battalion to die in combat on its current deployment.
Staff Sgt. Michael Hosey, 27, of Birmingham, Ala., was killed in Uruzgan province, according to the Defense Department. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, and had served at Lewis-McChord since 2005.
Hosey joined the Army in 2001 after finishing high school. He moved quickly into the intelligence field, studying at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif., and serving in the Arizona-based 304th Military Intelligence Battalion, 111th Military intelligence Brigade.
This was his second deployment to Afghanistan. He also had served twice in Iraq.
Five Lewis-McChord soldiers and seven service members with other ties to Washington state have died in combat this year.
Three of those Lewis-McChord casualties, including Hosey, were from the same Special Forces battalion.
Sgt. 1st Class Wyatt Goldsmith, 28, of Colville died in July from wounds he suffered in an attack in Helmand province. Sgt. 1st Class Dae Han Park, 36, of Watertown, Conn., was killed in Wardak province in March.
A high school friend told The Birmingham News that Hosey had a sense of humor and he wanted to serve his country.
“No matter how the class was going, he could put a smile on your face,” said Erin Kinnaird, who graduated with Hosey from Clay-Chalkville High School in 2001.
Adam Ashton: 253-597-8646 adam.ashton@thenewstribune.com
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