
Senior Airman Adam P. Servais, 23, was the kind of recruit the Air Force Special Operations Command prizes for its combat controllers.
While growing up in western Wisconsin, Servais played high school football in the fall and hockey in the winter.
His rough-and-tumble sports background prepared Servais for nearly two years of training before he could deploy as a combat controller. He was on his second overseas deployment when he died in Afghanistan during a battle with insurgents.
“He enjoyed the team that he trained with and he didn’t need recognition. He didn’t want to be a big deal,” Servais’ father, Peter, recalled.
Servais was...