Sgt. Roberto D. Sanchez, R.I.P.

Name: Army Sgt. Roberto D. Sanchez

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Age: 24 of Satellite Beach

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From: Satellite Beach, Fla.

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Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Hunter Army Airfield Ga.

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Incident: Army Sgt. Roberto D. Sanchez died Oct. 1 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an IED.

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Died: October 01, 2009

(The following was taken from www.wesh.com)SATELLITE BEACH, Fla. -- An Army Ranger from Brevard County died Thursday from wounds received during combat operations in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announce Sunday.

Sgt. Roberto Daniel Sanchez, 24, was killed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, while serving with Company B, First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, which is based at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga.

Sanchez died during a combat operation involving multiple enemy contacts that killed nine enemy combatants and destroyed a large weapons cache. During the operation, Sanchez was mortally wounded by an enemy improvised explosive device, the DOD said.

"Sgt. Sanchez epitomized the spirit and ethos of the Ranger Regiment," said Col. Michael E. Kurilla, commander of the 75th Ranger Regiment. "He is a hero to our nation, our Army and his family."

"Sgt. Sanchez was the quintessential Ranger, enthusiastic, smart, loyal to his mission, his country and his friends," said Col. Brian Mennes, First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Battalion commander. "He led with distinction and would want us to continue supporting the efforts for which he so humbly and selfishly dedicated his life."

After graduating from Satellite Senior High School in Satellite Beach, Sanchez enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 2004. He began his Army Ranger career when he was assigned to Company B, First Bn., where he served as an automatic rifleman and team leader, the DOD said.

Sanchez was on his fifth deployment, with three previous deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan.

He is survived by his parents 1st Sgt. Will and Wendy Holland and brothers Jacob Goldberg and Logan Holland, of Hendersonville, Tenn., and maternal grandparents James and Mary Wilson, of Ocala.