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Army Master Sgt. Kevin A. Dupont
Died June 17, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom
52, of Templeton, Mass.; assigned to the 79th Troop Command, Rehoboth, Massachusetts Army National Guard.; died June 17 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, of wounds suffered March 8 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
Died with wife by his side
The Associated Press
CHICOPEE, Mass. — A soldier has died from injuries he suffered when a military vehicle he was riding in ran over an improvised explosive in Afghanistan three months ago.
Kelli Dupont says her brother, Army Sgt. 1st Class Kevin Dupont, died early June 17 at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was being treated for third-degree burns.
Dupont, 52, was injured March 8. He graduated from Chicopee High School in 1976 and most recently lived in Templeton. He was a member of the Massachusetts Army National Guard.
Kelli Dupont says her brother’s wife was at his side when he died.

Army Spc. Gerardo Campos
Died June 2, 2012 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom
23, of Miami, Fla.; assigned to 4th Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died June 2 in Maiwand, Afghanistan, of wounds caused by enemy small-arms fire.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Pablo A. Ruiz
Died May 24, 2015 Serving During Operation Freedom’s Sentinel
37, of Melbourne, Florida, died May 24 in Bagram, Afghanistan, in a noncombat-related incident. He was assigned to Group Support Bn, 3rd Special Forces Gp, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Marine Cpl. Benjamin D. Desilets
Died May 22, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
21, of Elmwood, Ill.; assigned to 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.; died May 22 while conducting combat operations in Zanti, Iraq.
Central Illinois Marine killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
ELMWOOD, Ill. — A central Illinois Marine killed in Iraq this week was a friend to everyone at his tiny high school and joined the military to support his 3-year-old daughter, school officials said May 23.
Cpl. Benjamin Desilets, 21, of Elmwood and Cpl. Julian Woodall, 21, of Tallahassee, Fla., were both killed May 22 while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, the Department of Defense said Wednesday.
Both were members of the 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force based at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Desilets’ death weighed heavily Wednesday at the 215-student Elmwood High School, about 20 miles west of Peoria.
“He was just a dynamic kid. He was a very handsome boy and he was just as pretty on the inside,” said English teacher Cathy Meyers, fighting back tears.
Desilets was “friends with everybody” and returned to the school several times to talk about the military since graduating three years ago, Meyers said.
“If someone new came to the school or someone was down and out, he’s the one who had his arm around them saying, ‘Hey, having a tough day?’ ” Meyers said.
Desilets joined the Marines in September 2004 to take care of his young daughter, who was born while he was in high school, Meyers said. He was trained as a field artillery fire control man and was promoted to lance corporal in November 2005.
Meyers laughed as she described Desilets as “ornery enough to be likable,” saying he was a kidder who loved to push the limits with teachers and staff in an endearing way.
“Kids come and go but this is one you don’t forget,” said Meyers, who is retiring this year after working at her alma mater for 22 years.
Desilets’ family did not immediately return a call for comment May 23.
His younger sister, Hannah, graduated from Elmwood on May 20, then returned to the school May 22 to tell teachers after getting word that her brother had been killed.
“Our heart went out to her because she was on such a high walking out of here Sunday as one of our seniors and then she gets this tragic news,” said Principal Stan Matheny.
Desilets’ older sister, Laura, also graduated from Elmwood and all three children worked through high school to help support their single mother, Meyers said.
“This small school is like a family and we just lost our little brother,” Meyers said. “We just don’t like burying our kids.”

Army Pfc. Robert A. Worthington
Died May 22, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
19, of Jackson, Ga.; assigned to the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 22 in Taji, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit.