The soldier killed Thursday supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom leaves behind a wife and a 4-year-old son and both parents, the Department of Defense said Monday.
Spc. Charles Dustin “Dusty” Parrish, 23, of Jasper, Ala., died in a Balad, Iraq, hospital Thursday from wounds received when his vehicle was struck by an anti-tank grenade in Jalula, Iraq. Parrish was assigned to the 55th Mobility Augmentation Company (MAC), 5th Engineer Battalion, which is part of the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade based on Fort Leonard Wood. The unit is scheduled to return home sometime in July.
Details on the attack are not available and an investigation is ongoing.
“Our prayers go out to his family and his friends,” said Col. Rob Risberg, 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade commander, during a press conference Monday.
Parrish was hit by an RKG 3 grenade while performing his duties as a combat medic during route clearance operations near Jalula. The grenade, developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, is “only to be used from behind cover, as the average throwing range is only 15-20 meters,” according to documents provided by Fort Leonard Wood. It is unknown whether Parrish’s attacker survived the event. No other soldier was wounded or killed in the attack.
Risberg said the RKG 3 grenade“has been growing in use.”
“It has, unfortunately, a very good penetrating capability into armored vehicles,” he said, noting that the weapon did penetrate Parrish’s vehicle.
The main mission of the 55th MAC is route clearance — specifically, removing Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) on major roadways that are used for the delivery of supplies and other activities.
Though Risberg did not know Parrish personally, he said from what he’s been told, Parrish “was a very popular soldier,” adding that about 200 of his comrades lined up outside the hospital prepared to give blood while he was undergoing surgery.
“From all accounts Spc. Parrish was just a fine young man,” Risberg said. “He went out there and did his duty and did it very well. We are all proud of him.”
Parrish leaves behind his wife, Ashley, a 4-year-old son, Caden, his father, Dennis and mother, Tina.
“It’s very tragic. It’s tragic when we lose any soldier. Unfortunately, most of soldiers leave young families behind,” Risberg said.
Parrish’s family will be assigned a Casualty Assistance Officer (CAO) who will help them navigate the process of traveling to meet the remains, preparing for the funeral and filling out related paperwork. That person will stay with the family for as long as he or she is needed.
“We take this very seriously, our obligation to the family of our fallen heros,” Risberg said. “We here in the unit are doing everything we can to help the family as well.”
Like many military families, Parrish’s wife and child did not stay at Fort Leonard Wood when he was deployed in May 2008. Instead, they opted to return home to Alabama where a family support structure was in place.
Risberg said that soldiers in the 55th MAC took the news hard, as would be expected, but continue the mission.
“They understand this is an unfortunate part of our business,” Risberg said. “But they soldier on.”
Parrish is the second casualty the 4th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade has suffered. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal and the Overseas Service Ribbon. He also earned the Combat Action Badge and Combat Medic Badge.
