Veteran of the Day graphic created by Alexandra Craig for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Army Veteran Patrick Lybert. Patrick served during the War on Terror.
During his enlistment with the United States Army, Patrick was deployed to Afghanistan as a staff sergeant with C Company, 3rd Squadron, 71st Cavalry Regiment (Recon), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division.
In June 2006, Patrick and his company were engaged in operations in and around Gowardesh Valley, located in the mountainous province of Kunar, Afghanistan. On June 21, 2006, Patrick and members of his team were tasked with climbing and establishing a watch position on top of a mountain ridge.
As Patrick and his fellow soldiers climbed their way to the observation position, the men were engaged by insurgent forces with heavy combined arms fire. Despite the shock of the attack, Patrick was able to recompose himself and began engaging enemy targets. As Patrick engaged the enemy, his fellow team members were able to recover from the shock of the attack, began treating the wounded and called in fire support.
While exposing himself to engage the enemy, Patrick was mortally wounded.
Patrick is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery in his home state of Wisconsin. In addition to earning the Bronze Star, Patrick was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and the Purple Heart. He is remembered for his bravery and dedication to his friends and family.
We honor his service.
Memorial Day Awareness
This month, the VA’s National Cemetery Administration is partnering with Carry the Load, a nonprofit organization that connects Americans to the sacrifices made daily by the U.S. military, Veterans, first responders and their families to commemorate the “Memorial May” awareness campaign. The VA will share the stories of service members and Veterans who paid the ultimate sacrifice in “Veteran of the Day” posts leading up to Memorial Day 2019.
Contributors
Editor: Geoffrey Townsley
Fact checker: Jordan Gossett
Graphic design: Alexandra Craig
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Patrick was part my cousins son. He paid the ultimate sacrifice. A hero.
Thank you for this tribute to my Son . Sincerely, Cheryl Patrick.
We honor the service of Army Veteran Patrick Lybert.