The country is mourning the loss of six Air National Guardsmen killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. As Briggette Sayegh reports, two of them were based at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh.
NYPD Detective and Staff Sergeant Joseph Lemm, as well as Sergeant Louis Bonacasa, were with the 105th Air National Guard at the Stewart Air National Guard Base. The two were part of a joint NATO-Afghan patrol near Bagram Airfield when authorities say a Taliban fighter rammed them with a motorcycle filled with explosives.
Four other soldiers were killed in the attack, considered one of the deadliest this year.
President of the Detectives' Union Michael Palladino, reflected on the kind of man Lemm was.
"He was a fine young man, he was well liked and well respected by the people he worked with, and that says an awful lot about a person," Palladino said. "He was quiet, he was reserved and he was respectful. He was a professional in every sense of the word and we're gonna miss him."
Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus called the news terrible and said the focus is now on helping the families of those lost.
"What we’re going to do now for the next few days leading into Christmas and after is helping support the Stewart Air Guard leaders there to make sure [there is] anything we can do to accommodate the families of those loved ones that were lost, and to make sure they get a proper burial," Neuhaus said. "It’s unfortunate and it’s a sad reminder that we are still fighting the war on terrorism overseas."
While America's combat mission officially ended last year, there are still nearly 10,000 U.S. service members in Afghanistan. Governor Andrew Cuomo released a statement on the death of Lemm, saying "Staff Sgt. Joe Lemm served this nation with the selflessness and bravery that embodies the U.S. Armed forces and the NYPD. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I extend my deepest condolences to his family, friends, fellow officers and service members."
Just two years ago, another member of the 105th Airlift Wing, T.J. Lobraico, was killed while serving in Afghanistan.