Eastfor Soldier Killed In Afghanistan
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(Eastford-WTNH, Dec. 17, 2006 6:30 PM) _ Eastford is remembering a hometown hero as another Connecticut soldier is killed while serving on the front lines.
This latest casualty of war is Staff Sergeant Joseph Phaneuf II. He leaves behind a wife and three children.
The family tells News Channel 8 that Phaneuf was killed by a roadside bomb on Friday while driving a truck in Afghanistan.
Phaneuf was a member of the National Guard 1-102nd out of New Haven. In 2004 he was serving in Iraq, returned home and then was deployed to Afghanistan.
His wife says that he was a hero.
"This man left his family, and he has a huge family. Not just me and the kids, but he has brothers and sisters that loved him deeply but he knew they were safe, that they were okay. But he went to take care of these other people, you know, to try and make their lives different at his own risk, at risk to him. You know, that is a hero," says Michelle Phaneuf.
Phaneuf comes from a line of military men. His father was a Marine in Vietnam, and three brothers also served in the military.
The family is in the early stages of arranging burial at Arlington National Cemetery.