Nathan J. Vacho

Died: May 5, 2006

Rank: Staff Sergeant

Unit: 489th Civil Affairs Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve

Branch: U.S. Army

Staff Sergeant Nathan J. Vacho was killed on May 5, 2006, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq. Two other Soldiers died in the same incident. The 29-year-old Kentucky Reserv­ist had been in Iraq only two weeks as part of a mission to rebuild Iraqi villages. He had volunteered to deploy to Iraq as a combat medic with a civil affairs battalion based in Tennessee. On the day of his funeral, both sides of Highway 8 near the Lady­smith High School in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, were lined with Patriot Guard members and their bikes. Many had come from other states to show their support for his family. Vacho was buried at Riverside Cemetery in Ladysmith.