Adam Kenneth Ginett – Technical Sergeant, United States Air Force

by

U.S. Department of Defense
Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense (Public Affairs)
News Release

IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 048-10

DOD Identifies Air Force Casualty

The Department of Defense announced today the death of an airman who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Technical Sergeant Adam K. Ginett, 29, of Knightdale, North Carolina, died Janiary 19, 2010, near Kandahar Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device.  He was assigned to the 31st Civil Engineer Squadron, Aviano Air Base, Italy.

Two American soldiers under Canadian command killed in Afghanistan

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan – Two American soldiers serving under Canadian command in Afghanistan were killed by a roadside bomb Tuesday in the second such incident this month.

The pair were on a foot patrol with Afghan soldiers, looking for an ammunitions cache in the dangerous Arghandab district just north of Kandahar city.

Canadian Brigadier General Daniel Menard, who heads coalition forces in Kandahar province, identified them on Wednesday as Captain Paul Pena, 27, and Technical Sergeant Adam Ginett, 29.

Five other soldiers were injured.

Word of the incident was delayed pending notification of family.

Both soldiers were working with the 2nd Battalion, 508 Parachute Infantry Regiment.

“Their loss will be mourned by Americans, Canadians and the Afghans they served with,” Menard said.

“We will remember their sacrifice.”

Menard called Pena, of San Marcos, Tex., a “recognized leader” among his peers.

A quiet professional, he always had a smile on his face and was admired by his soldiers, Menard said.

Pena was deployed to Iraq in 2006 and 2007 and to Afghanistan last year.

Ginett, of Knightdale, North Carolina, was a counter-IED specialist.

He had previously been awarded the Bronze Star for heroic or meritorious achievement or service during his previous deployments.

“Adam was a dedicated soldier and a team player,” Menard said.

The latest tragedy involving the Americans was the fourth such fatal incident since Menard formally took command of the U.S. forces in Zhari and Arghandab less than two months ago.

About 2,000 American soldiers are serving under Menard, who is trying to subdue an active insurgency in the two districts.

The districts are key Taliban staging and transit points into Kandahar city – and fertile ground for insurgents to attack coalition forces and civilian convoys on the all-important Highway 1.

The American forces are a crucial part of Menard’s strategy, lending muscle to the thinly stretched Canadian forces in the region.

Soldier With Local Ties Dies In Afghanistan

A Coats, North Carolina, family is mourning the loss of their son who died while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.

U.S. Air Force Tech Sgt.

Adam Kenneth Ginett, 29, was killed Tuesday near Kandahar Airfield as the result of wounds suffered from an improvised explosive device, a news release from the Department of Defensesaid.

He was assigned to the 31st Civil Engineer Squadron out of Aviano Air Base, Italy, where he worked as an explosive ordinance disposal expert. He was also a master sniper.

Technical Sergeant Ginett’s is the son of James and Christina Kazakavage and brother of Sarah Kazakavage, all of Coats.

A family friend said Technical Sergeant Ginett’s family was notified of his death Tuesday and flew out Wednesday morning to retrieve his body from Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

He is to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. The date and time of his burial and a memorial service at St. Bernadette Catholic Church in Fuquay-Varina will be announced. Technical Sergeant Ginett, of Knightdale, joined the U.S. Air Force at the age of 18 after graduating from East Wake High School in 1998. He went on to earn two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree in criminal justice and political science.

The Daily Record featured Technical Sergeant Ginett and his family in September 2007 after the then Staff Ssergeant Ginett received the U.S. Army Bronze Star for his work as a team leader for Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) with the 20th Civil Engineering Squadron during Operation Andar in Afghanistan.

Having already served three tours of duty in Iraq, Technical Sergeant Ginett was on his second tour of duty to Afghanistan.

In addition to clearing thousands of roadside bombs and destroying hundreds of thousands of enemy weapons on the battlefield, stateside, Technical Sergeant Ginett also led units charged with sweeping the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado, and Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota, for bombs in preparation for the 2008 Democratic and Republican Conventions.

Technical Sergeant Ginett is survived by his parents and sister; his maternal grandparents James and Mary Haslam of Cary and paternal grandfather Joe Kazakavage of Port St. Lucie, Florida.

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