Burlington Free Press, July 4
COLCHESTER — A roadside bomb in Afghanistan killed Vermont Army National Guard Spc. Ryan J. Grady on Friday, Guard Maj. Gen. Michael Dubie announced Saturday. The early morning IED blast near Bagram Airfield wounded four other Vermont Guard soldiers, two of them very seriously, while the men were on patrol in an “ambush-protected” military vehicle, Dubie said at a news conference at Camp Johnson.
Grady is survived by his wife, Heaven, of Bristow, Okla., and a daughter, Alexis, of West Burke, he said.
“Specialist Grady made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of a nation that he both loved and served,” Dubie continued — saying that the young man’s death brought to Vermont a “bittersweet” note on the eve of the country’s 234th birthday.
More than 300 people at Bagram attended a formal farewell to Grady, Dubie said. Dozens of the 1,500 Vermont Guard soldiers in the 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team have been injured since their January deployment, Dubie added.
Three of the men injured by Friday’s explosion have been flown to Germany for treatment, he added; one remains in medical care at Bagram. Dubie did not disclose their names.
“The reality is that it’s a very difficult security environment in Afghanistan right now,” he said. “We all knew it would be tough times. We’ll all hope and continue to hope that our men and women will be safe. We’ll be as prepared as we can be.”
One of Grady’s two surviving brothers, Kevin Grady of St. Johnsbury is deployed in Afghanistan with the Vermont National Guard, and is en route home to Vermont, Dubie said.
Grady’s father, Sgt. 1st Class James A. Grady of West Burke, also serves in the Guard. Grady’s mother, Debbie Hudacek, lives in Bristow, Okla., according to a Guard press release.
Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Lloyd Goodrow said Grady’s family had disclosed no details about funeral arrangements.
But, Goodrow added, they wished the public to respect their privacy.
“Their message is, ‘Give us space; give us peace,’” Goodrow said.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., had these comments on the death of Grady: “Vermonters are saddened by the loss of a National Guard soldier who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan. As our state and country mark Independence Day and honor the memory of all those who served our nation, our thoughts and prayers are with Specialist Grady’s family and with the Vermont Guard members serving in Afghanistan.”
Grady joined the U.S. Army in 2003 as a combat engineer. He supported operations in Iraq from February 2005 — January 2006, and was awarded the Purple Heart for battle injuries. In October 2006 he transferred to the Vermont Army National Guard; two years later he transferred to a Battalion in Okmulgee, Okla.
He returned to duty with the Vermont National Guard in September 2009.
Dubie, standing beneath portraits of 11 other Vermont Guard soldiers who had died in Iraq and Afghanistan, said the last Vermont combat death was that of Master Sgt. Tom Stone.
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