Wire: Soldier, 59, Oldest US Servicemember to Die in Afghanistan

Off the Wire:

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23, 2009 -- Newswire services this weekend reported that a Vietnam veteran and Bronze Star recipient who volunteered to return to the Army and serve in Afghanistan became the oldest U.S. service member to die in combat there, the U.S. military announced Friday.

First Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo was killed by a roadside bomb in Kabul on Tuesday while riding in an armored Humvee.

CNN reported that his body was flown to the United States early Thursday morning.

Crisostomo of Spanaway, Washington, was 59. He would have turned 60 later this month, according to KING television in Seattle, Washington.

He was one of a very few service members who served in Vietnam and in current U.S. military operations, his record shows. He twice received the Bronze Star, which is awarded to U.S. troops for combat valor, CNN said.

Crisostomo also received the Purple Heart for being wounded in combat, according to his records.

It was not clear from his official records if he received the medals for combat in Vietnam or Afghanistan.

His records also indicate he received numerous other commendations. He also served during the first Gulf War in 1991 and received the Kuwait Liberation Medal.

Earlier this year, a 60-year-old soldier was killed in Iraq, becoming the oldest U.S. service member killed in either the war in Iraq or the war in Afghanistan.

(Report from newswire sources.)

Related:
Pentagon Identifies Army Casualty (OEF)
Wire: 60-Year-Old is Oldest US Soldier Killed in Iraq

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