In his four years serving in the military, Ganczewski performed five tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, his mother, Maria Ganczewski said. Each tour lasted about three months and he usually had just six months in between to spend with his family, she said. This tour was to be his last before he planned to return home to train new Army Rangers.
SGT Steven C. Ganczewski from Niagara Falls, New York
SGT Ganczewski served with: 3rd Ranger Battalion
Born in 1985, Ranger Ganczewski was 22 years old at the time of his death in 2007.
Complete biography is below the photo gallery
SGT Steven C. Ganczewski 's Biography
In his four years serving in the military, Ganczewski performed five tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, his mother, Maria Ganczewski said. Each tour lasted about three months and he usually had just six months in between to spend with his family, she said. This tour was to be his last before he planned to return home to train new Army Rangers.
Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski, 22, was a fire team leader assigned to 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment at Fort Benning, Ga. He was born on April 7, 1985.
He died Nov. 16, 2007, in northern Iraq of injuries sustained in a combat related incident.
After graduating from Niagara Falls High School in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Ganczewski enlisted in the Army from his hometown of Niagara Falls in July 2003 and completed One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning as an infantryman. After graduating from the Basic Airborne Course there, he was assigned to the Ranger
Indoctrination Program also at Fort Benning.
He graduated from the Ranger Indoctrination Program in April 2004 and was then assigned to 3rd Bn., 75th Ranger Regiment in May 2004. He served there as a grenadier and fire team leader.
Ganczewski’s awards and decorations include four Army Achievement Medals, Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, Noncommissioned Officers Professional Development Ribbon, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Jumpmaster Badge, and
the Ranger Tab.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, Bronze Star Medal w/V and the Meritorious Service Medal.
He is survived by his wife Rachel and daughter Makayla, of Columbus, Ga., and his parents Mark and Maria Ganczewski of Niagara Falls, N.Y.
As a Ranger, Sgt. Ganczewski distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier light infantry unit,traveled to all corners of the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and fought valiantly to "uphold the prestige, honor, and high ‘esprit de corps’" of the Ranger Regiment.
Army Sgt. Steven C. Ganczewski
Died November 16, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
22, of Niagara Falls, N.Y.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Ga.; died Nov. 16, in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from a combat-related incident.
Niagara Falls native killed in combat in Balad, Iraq
By Valerie Bauman - The Associated Press
Sgt. Steven Ganczewski was only 14 years old when he decided he wanted to be an Army Ranger, and like nearly everything else he attempted, he was successful, family members said Nov. 18.
Ganczewski, 22, of Niagara Falls, N.Y., died Nov. 16 in Balad, Iraq, according to a Defense Department statement.
In his four years serving in the military, Ganczewski performed five tours of duty in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, his mother, Maria Ganczewski said. Each tour lasted about three months and he usually had just six months in between to spend with his family, she said. This tour was to be his last before he planned to return home to train new Army Rangers.
"He wanted to be a Ranger and he did it," she said. "Being a Ranger is not an easy thing to do. Anything he wanted to do he did it. He was so determined or lucky ... he completed everything he wanted to do."
According to the Department of Defense statement, he died of wounds suffered from a combat-related incident.
Maria Ganczewski said military officials have told her little about her son’s death, but she was informed that he fell from a helicopter on his way to a mission.
"I’m not ready to lose him," his mother said. "He was great family to me, to his father, to his brother."
He was survived by his wife, Rachel, and his daughter, Makayla. Both live in Columbus, Ga. Their ages were not immediately available.
He was born in Albuquerque, N.M. He graduated from Niagara Falls high school in 2003.
He received a number of awards and decorations, including the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and the Iraq Campaign Medal. He was posthumously awarded the Meritorious Service Medal and the Bronze Star. His family expects him to receive the Purple Heart, which is given to those who die or are wounded in battle.
He was a fire team leader assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, at Fort Benning, Ga.
