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Dane Partridge, a U.S. seasoned and erstwhile infantryman from Idaho, died this week successful Ukraine aft suffering injuries from a Russian onslaught earlier this month, his household told The Post precocious Wednesday. He was 34.
Partridge, who served arsenic an infantryman successful Iraq for 15 months from 2007 to 2009, suffered captious injuries to his cervix and encephalon stem connected Oct. 3 erstwhile helium was deed during a Russian vessel onslaught connected his portion successful Severodonetsk, a metropolis successful Luhansk, his household said, citing a doc from a Ukrainian hospital. He was connected beingness enactment until helium died Tuesday.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed the caller decease of a U.S. national successful Donbas without naming them.
There are nary authoritative nationalist numbers of U.S. unpaid fighters successful Ukraine, oregon of those who person died there, though an authoritative astatine the Ukrainian Embassy successful Washington told The Post successful March that astir 4,000 had expressed involvement successful the recently formed International Legion of Territorial Defense of Ukraine. Partridge’s decease follows that of Luke Lucyszyn and Bryan Young successful July, Stephen D. Zabielski in May and Willy Cancel successful April.
In the archetypal six months of the war, Ukraine mislaid astir 9,000 troops, with much than 7,000 missing, according to authoritative Ukrainian statements, though the numbers could beryllium higher.
Partridge wrote a volition earlier buying a one-way summons to Poland, wherever helium signed up to combat successful the legion successful April. His sister, Jenny Corry of Idaho Falls, said helium felt a spiritual calling to join.
“He felt powerfully with astir each bony successful his assemblage that helium needed to spell and helium needed to fight,” she said. “When helium did leave, it was affectional for me, due to the fact that I conscionable knew successful my bosom it would beryllium the past clip I saw him.”
Born successful Germany successful 1988 to a Red Cross assistance idiosyncratic and a subordinate of the U.S. Air Force, Partridge became captivated by the thought of serving successful the subject from a young age. “All helium knew increasing up were flak jackets, M-16s, defender dogs and seeing NATO exercises,” said his mother, Terri Hepworth. “That was his world, and it ne'er near him.”
When helium was 3, the household moved to Altus Air Force Base successful Oklahoma, and helium grew up “in the ungraded with his friends, playing Army guy,” Corry said. They aboriginal moved to Rexburg, Idaho, wherever helium decided to articulation the Army soon aft graduating precocious school. His household members retrieve him arsenic the lad who packed other cogwheel connected Boy Scout trips and tried to prevention stray dogs — adjacent aft helium was bitten and needed a rabies changeable — and arsenic a antheral with a endowment for fixing cars and electronics.
After precocious school, Partridge served arsenic a turret gunner and a operator of armored vehicles successful Baghdad during the Iraq War, according to Matt Reeves, 1 of his sergeants. Reeves recalled him arsenic a young antheral with a “bit of a temper” who rapidly transformed into a “fine soldier” who would prosecute others successful intelligence discussions astir religion.
Partridge separated from the subject successful 2012 with the fertile of backstage archetypal class, according to his father, Dennis Partridge.
“I had ne'er seen him happier than successful Ukraine. He recovered his intent not successful the warring truthful overmuch arsenic the saving,” his parent said, successful betwixt sobs. “Sometimes, with the civilian world, helium conscionable didn’t mesh.”
His household said they overcame their reservations and supported Partridge’s determination to volunteer, saying that arsenic members of the Mormon Church they understood his spiritual calling.
“He did what fewer of america are consenting to bash — helium conscionable packed up and went,” his begetter said. “He was ever consenting to help. He was a hard worker, and helium surely cared astir his family.”
Partridge had decided to proceed warring adjacent aft helium was wounded by shrapnel from a travel ligament this summer. His woman and 5 children — who scope from property 2 to 15 — were capable to accidental goodbye via a video telephone portion helium was successful a coma during his last week.
“He struggled successful life, but erstwhile helium got into the military, helium recovered his element,” his parent said. “His telephone motion was ‘Bird’ — Dane Partridge, telephone motion ‘Bird.’ So erstwhile you spot a bird, deliberation of my son.”
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