Thomas E. Vitagliano
Profile
Age: 33
From: New Haven, Conn.
Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Casey, Korea
Incident: Army Staff Sgt. Thomas E. Vitagliano was killed Jan. 17 when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his position in Ramadi, Iraq. Also
Died: January 17, 2005
• • • • •
New Haven soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press
HARTFORD, Conn. — A 33-year-old soldier from New Haven has been killed in Iraq, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.
Staff Sgt. Thomas E. Vitagliano died Monday in Ramadi, Iraq, when a bomb in a vehicle detonated near his position, the Defense Department said. Also killed was Pfc. George Geer, 27 of Cortez, Colo. They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, based out of Camp Casey, South Korea.
Vitagliano, who grew up in Orange and West Haven, was the 23rd person with Connecticut ties killed in Iraq or Afghanistan since March 2002, and the first this year.
John Hoffman, deacon at Holy Infant Church in Orange where Vitagliano’s family worships, said Vitagliano enlisted in the military at age 17.
“It’s about as young as you get,” he said. “No one loved the military life more than him. As a little...
Occupation
Incident
Prayers & Messages
We are sorry to have lost you due to this war. You sound, from what your loved ones say, a wonderful man. I wish you could have been with the world longer. May you rest in peace and thank you for serving our country and the world in the best way you could.
I am so sorry for your loss and I hope your family is comforted in that you died for your belief.
Sincerely,
Mary