Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, a 29-year-old special operations soldier from San Diego, was killed in Afghanistan on his 14th combat deployment - a remarkable and perhaps unprecedented tally among Army Rangers killed in action.
SFC Kristoffer B. Domeij from San Diego, California
SFC Domeij served with: HHC 2nd Ranger Battalion
Born in 1982, Ranger Domeij was 29 years old at the time of his death in 2011.
Complete biography is below the photo gallery
SFC Kristoffer B. Domeij 's Biography
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, a 29-year-old special operations soldier from San Diego, was killed in Afghanistan on his 14th combat deployment - a remarkable and perhaps unprecedented tally among Army Rangers killed in action.
San Diego Union Tribune
By Gretel C. Kovach | 4:50 p.m. Oct. 27, 2011
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, a 29-year-old special operations soldier from San Diego, was killed in Afghanistan on his 14th combat deployment - a remarkable and perhaps unprecedented tally among Army Rangers killed in action.
Domeij was fatally wounded Saturday with two other soldiers in a roadside bomb strike in Kandahar province. By then he had spent a total of about four years in combat with the elite Ranger force, during four deployments to Iraq and 10 to Afghanistan.
In his official Army photo, Domeij looks startled. "He would have hated that photo, it didn’t represent him," said a friend who called him "my brother" and submitted an alternate image. "He was fearless in life and in combat."
Domeij (pronounced DO-MAY) was a Joint Terminal Attack Controller - responsible for calling in close air support for ground troops - with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.
Domeij had guts but wanted no glory, it seems. Kyle Domeij, of San Diego, said his brother told the family that if anything happened to him, he wouldn’t want any media coverage.
"He didn’t want to be in the limelight. My brother was a very humble man," said Domeij. "We never even knew all the accomplishments he had. We’re just finding out about it now."
The Domeij family declined this week to discuss the fallen soldier’s life and service, while they weighed whether to respect his last wishes or publicly pay tribute to his memory.
Kristoffer Domeij graduated in 2001 from Rancho Bernardo High School. He enlisted in the Army that July and joined the Rangers in April 2002.
During his decade of service, Domeij was awarded two Bronze Stars, and a third for his final tour will be presented posthumously, according to U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
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Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer Domeij, 29, died in Kandahar Province from wounds he suffered when an improvised explosive device was detonated by enemy fighters.- Domeij Family
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Rancho Bernardo High School principal Paul Robinson said Domeij was a good student who worked hard and was "a real fine football player." He was also "a fun-loving young man. Some folks might call him a knuckle-head, but he always had everybody’s best interest at heart."
Several of the school’s former students have been wounded, but Domeij is the first Robinson knows of killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. "No one had any idea of the number of deployments and missions that he had served on," Robinson said. "It was quite amazing."
The special operations community is famously tight-lipped, because of the dangers of the job and the tendency to work behind enemy lines and in small groups. Often only senior leaders such as the battalion commander are identified publicly.
A Ranger posting on a special operations community website said Domeij had served as his platoon’s forward observer, responsible for locating targets and directing mortar fire. Domeij later became one of the first Army-qualified Joint Terminal Attack Controllers, who are usually members of the Air Force.
Lt. Col. David Hodne, his battalion commander, said "this was a Ranger you wanted at your side when the chips were down. ... He is irreplaceable in our formation, and in our hearts."
Col. Mark W. Odom, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment, said Domeij was a veteran of hundreds of combat missions "whose ability to employ fire support platforms made him a game changer on the battlefield - an operator who in real terms had the value of an entire strike force on the battlefield."
Besides his brother, Domeij is survived by his wife, Sarah, and daughters Mikajsa and Aaliyah of Lacey, Wash.; and his mother, Scoti Domeij, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
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Stephen J. Dunning, 10/27/2011 LA TIMES
Army, Sergeant 1st Class
Based: Ft. Lewis, Wash.
2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: October 22, 2011
Kandahar province, Afghanistan
Married, 2 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: San Diego
High School: Rancho Bernardo High (San Diego)
"
He was one of those men who was known by all as much for his humor, enthusiasm, and loyal friendship as he was for his unparalleled skill and bravery under fire.
"
- 2nd battalion commander Lt. Col. David Hodne, in the Tacoma News Tribune
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, 29, of San Diego, Calif., was killed Oct. 22 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan when his unit was attacked by enemy forces using a roadside bomb. Two other men also died in the incident, Pfc. Christopher A. Horns, 20, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and 1st. Lt. Ashley I. White, 24, of Alliance, Ohio.
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http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2011/10/26/141716022/army-ranger-on-14th-deployment-killed-in-afghanistan
Army Ranger On 14th Deployment Killed In Afghanistan
Updated October 26, 20119:58 AM ET
Published October 26, 20119:50 AM ET
Author - Mark Memmott 2010
This young man's death says a lot about how much has been asked of the nation's men and women in uniform and their families since Sept. 11, 2001:
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij, 29, was killed on Saturday in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, by an improvised explosive device, according to the U.S. Army Special Operations Command.
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij.
Sgt. 1st Class Kristoffer B. Domeij.
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
U.S. Army Special Operations Command
"He was on his 14th combat deployment to Afghanistan in support of the War on Terror," the statement adds.
Also killed in the incident: 1st Lt. Ashley White, 24, and Pvt. 1st Class Christopher A. Horns, 20. Horns was on his first deployment, according to Special Operations Command.
As CBS News says, "while Domeij may have rotated to the conflict zones 14 times in the last 10 years, it does not necessarily mean he was actively fighting for a vast majority of the last decade. It does, however, mean that there are probably few other soldiers who have seen more combat for the U.S. military in recent years." Mother Jones adds that Domeij's deployments probably lasted a little more than 3 months each time - meaning he likely spent about 4 years in the war zone.
In Domeij's hometown back in California, the local Pomerado News writes that he's being remembered by Rancho Bernardo High School principal Paul Robinson as being a "fun-loving young man, a real fine football player who also played roller hockey. ... He was just a good kid."
Domeij enlisted in the Army in July 2001, right out of high school. According to Special Operations:
"His awards and decorations include the Ranger Tab, Combat Action Badge, Expert Infantry Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge, the Pathfinder Badge and the U.S. Army Expert Rifle Marksmanship Qualification Badge.
"He has also been awarded the Bronze Star Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the Joint Commendation Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal with three loops, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with two campaign stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral three, Army Service Ribbon, and the Overseas Ribbon with numeral four.
"He will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, and the Meritorious Service Medal."
Domeij is survived by "his wife, Sarah and daughters Mikajsa and Aaliyah of Lacey, Wash.; his mother Scoti Domeij of Colorado Springs, Colo., and his brother Kyle Domeij of San Diego, Calif.," Special Operations says.
