#VeteranOfTheDay Army Sergeant First Class Kevin Assenat

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Sergeant First Class Kevin Assenat. Kevin was injured in Iraq while serving in the Army Reserve.

Kevin was born in August 1968 and is a native of Roanoke, VA. He enlisted in the Army Reserves in February 1986 as a member of the 2^nd Brigade and 80^th Institutional Training Division. He joined as an infantryman and completed his training at Fort Benning, GA, specializing in infantry. From there, he continued with a civilian job as a member of the Roanoke Police Department.

In August 2005, Kevin’s unit was activated and sent to Kuwait. From there, they were sent to Tal Afar, Iraq. Kevin had many roles in combat situations and was tasked with training Iraqi soldiers, as well. His very first mission in the country was to clear the city of insurgent groups. In December 2005, Kevin helped to secure and supply a polling station for the first election under the country’s new constitution.

While transporting supplies between their base and polling station, Kevin’s convoy encountered an erratic oncoming vehicle. The van was a suicide bomber carrying an improvised explosive device. Four soldiers were injured, one was a Roanoke firefighter, while the other three were Roanoke police officers. Kevin was one of those four, sustaining shrapnel wounds to his face. He was medevacked to Germany, then soon after to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Maryland, where he stayed for three months and received multiple eye surgeries. It took him a full year before he recovered.

Today, Kevin has two children and is a sergeant in the Roanoke Police Department.

Thank you for your service, Kevin!

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Veterans History Project

This #VeteranoftheDay profile was created with interviews submitted to the Veterans History Project. The project collects, preserves, and makes accessible the personal accounts of American war Veterans so that future generations may hear directly from Veterans and better understand the realities of war. Find out more at https://www.loc.gov/vets/.

Graphic By Whitney Moore: Whitney is an undergraduate senior at Southern New Hampshire University studying Social Media Marketing.