Army Staff Sgt. Michael J. Gabel, 30, of Crowley, La.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 173rd Airborne Brigade, Camp Ederle, Italy; died Dec. 12 at Forward Operating Base Curry, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device. Also killed was Cpl. Joshua C. Blaney.
“Poignant Eulogy Presages Hero’s Death”
Staff Sergeant Michael J. Gabel was killed in action by a roadside bomb while serving in Afghanistan on December 12, 2007. Gabel, a 30 year old native of Baton Rouge, LA was on his third tour of duty in Afghanistan.
His brother David Gabel said Michael had planned to re-enlist next year so he could continue to serve in Afghanistan, a country that he loved.
“My brother believed in Afghanistan,” David Gabel said. “He really wanted to see schools, jobs, and opportunities brought to the country. It was his third tour in Afghanistan, and the job there was unfinished.”
Scarcely a month before his own death, Staff Sgt. Gabel had delivered the eulogy for one of three fellow Sky Soldiers, friends all who were killed in Kunar Provence.
Summarizing his feelings, he said: “I will not be bitter. I will not shed any tears of sorrow. I’m proud to have known such a good man and a warrior to the bitter end.”
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