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Son, 22, killed while serving in Afghanistan
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Published: November 17, 2009
Early on the morning of Nov. 6, Gary L. Gooch Sr. was awakened at his Lexington home by two Army officers who brought the worst news a father can hear.
The officers -- a chaplain and a casualty-assistance officer -- told Gooch that his son, Spc. Gary L. Gooch Jr., 22, of Ocala, Fla., died Nov. 5 in Jelewar, Afghanistan, of the wounds he suffered when enemy forces attacked the vehicle he was in with an improvised explosive device.
Another soldier, Spc. Aaron S. Aamot, 22, of Custer, Wash., was killed and two others were wounded in the attack.
"I'm proud of him (Gary)," Gooch Sr. said yesterday. "I know it is ugly over there, but we have to serve our country."
As of Saturday, at least 839 members of the American military had died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
Gooch was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division, according to an Army news release. The brigade deployed to Afghanistan in July.
Gooch joined the Army after he graduated in 2006 from Dunnellon High School in Dunnellon, Fla. He trained at Fort Benning, Ga., as an infantryman. He was assigned to the combat team at Fort Lewis, Wash., in January 2007. He served as a grenadier in his unit. It was his first deployment.
Gooch's awards and decorations include the Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Army Service Ribbon.
Gooch Sr., a truck driver, said he last talked to his son when he was in middle school. Gooch Sr. and his first wife, Jeanine Murphy, have been divorced for several years.
Gooch Jr.'s sister, Keely Murphy, also served in the Army and completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gooch Sr. said that Murphy talked to her father about her decision to volunteer, but her brother "just up and done it."
His sister's decision to join the Army probably influenced Gooch Jr. to do the same, said Linda Gooch, his aunt and his father's sister-in-law. Murphy has since left the Army.
Linda Gooch said she was horrified when she heard the news of her nephew's death.
"We're really very, very sorry that he's been killed," she said. "He made the ultimate sacrifice for his country. He was only 22, and we won't get the opportunity to know him. That's makes me very sad."
Gooch will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery with military honors, but a funeral date has not been scheduled.
His father said that his son's military service was worthwhile.
"I just hope we go there and get rid of those terrorists," Gooch said. "Let's be done with it. (President) Obama should send more troops there, and we should get it done. This isn't the Vietnam War."
jhinton@wsjournal.com
727-7299
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