SFC Obediah J. Kolath died Aug. 28 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, from wounds sustained Aug. 25 in Husaybah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position there, resulting in the deaths of three other USASOC soldiers as well.
SFC Obediah J. Kolath from Louisburg, Missouri
SFC Kolath served with:
Born in 1973, Ranger Kolath was 32 years old at the time of his death in 2005.
Complete biography is below the photo gallery
SFC Obediah J. Kolath 's Biography
SFC Obediah J. Kolath died Aug. 28 at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Landstuhl, Germany, from wounds sustained Aug. 25 in Husaybah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position there, resulting in the deaths of three other USASOC soldiers as well.
During his military service, SFC Obediah J. Kolath also served in 1st Battalion, 1st SFG (Airborne), USASOC, 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment
SFC Kolath entered the U.S. Army Mar. 10, 1992, as a fire support specialist. After completion of initial entry training, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 29th Field Artillery Regiment in Germany.
His military awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, two Army Commendation Medals, five Army Achievement Medals, four Army Good Conduct Medals, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War On Terrorism Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon with numeral three, the Army Service Ribbon, two Overseas Service Ribbons, the NATO Ribbon, the Special Forces Tab, the Ranger Tab, and the Parachutist Badge.
Kolath was posthumously recommended for the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, the Bronze Star, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and the Purple Heart.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Obediah J. Kolath
Died August 28, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
32, of Louisburg, Mo.; assigned to the Special Operations Command, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Aug. 28 in Landstuhl, Germany, of injuries sustained Aug. 25 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his position in Husaybah, Iraq.
Kolath wanted to be Special Forces
The Associated Press
Obediah J. Kolath’s best friend remembers him wanting nothing more than to become a Special Forces soldier.
“He made that decision when he was about 16 years old,” Brian Hudson said. “He could not wait to get in there and start. He never second-guessed himself on it.”
Kolath, 32, of Louisburg, Mo., died Aug. 25 when a bomb exploded near his patrol in Husaybah, Iraq. A 1991 high school graduate, he was based at Fort Bragg, N.C., and had been stationed in Hawaii, Japan and Thailand.
“Obie was the type of person you would be around and he would make you feel great about yourself,” said nephew, Jesse Brewer, a police officer. “He believed in me where I sometimes doubted myself.”
Older brother Lloyd said he and his eight siblings were raised in a trailer and Kolath grew up riding four-wheelers and dirt bikes. When the family was temporarily without running water, Lloyd and Obie went out to fetch the necessity.
“I always felt like we were the dynamic duo when we were together,” said Lloyd.
He also is survived by his children, Vivian Schondelmeyer, Autumn and Mariah Kolath, and mother, Mary Kolath.
