Published: May 08, 2008 08:17 pm            

Soldier from Greenup killed in Afghanistan

GREENUP — A soldier from Greenup County has been killed in Afghanistan.

Family members of U.S. Army Spec. Jeremy Gullett, 23, said they were notified by the military on Wednesday that he was killed earlier that day by a roadside bomb. One other soldier was killed and two were wounded. One civilian also perished in the explosion.

Gullett was attached to the 101st Airborne Division out of Fort Campbell, according to his mother, Cheryl Gullett. His unit was deployed to Afghanistan in March, the weekend before Easter. He previously had been stationed for 2 1/2 years in Korea.

Gullett joined the Army after graduating from Greenup County High School in 2003, his mother said.

“He always dreamed he’d go into the service, ever since he was 6 years old,” Cheryl Gullett said.

While at GCHS, Gullett prepared himself for a career in the military by enrolling in the school’s Junior ROTC program. On Thursday, Sgt. Tom Fenchel, the program’s instructor, recalled Gullett as a “great kid” who came from a supportive and loving family.

Fenchel said about 35 to 40 former ROTC students from GCHS have served in either Iraq or Afghanistan. Gullett, he said, was the first to be killed in service of his country.

Gullett leaves behind a wife and an 21-month-old daughter. His wife, Janeth, is a native of the Philippines. The couple was in the process of adopting her 6-year-old daughter, who still lives in the Philippines, Cheryl Gullett said.

It was not immediately clear where in Afghanistan the explosion that claimed Gullett’s life occurred. Jeremy Gullett’s uncle, Ron Gullett, said the military had provided that information to the family, but he could not recall the name of the area.

Col. Phillip Miller of the Kentucky National Guard said Thursday that he could not provide any additional details regarding Gullett’s death.

Miller said that it was standard procedure for him to be notified whenever any service member from the commonwealth is killed. However, he said he had not yet been contacted regarding Gullett’s death.

Ron, Cheryl and Harold Gullett, Jeremy’s father, all are members of the Little Sandy Volunteer Fire Department, as was Jeremy Gullett. Ron Gullett is the department’s chief.

Ron Gullett said the family had been told that Jeremy Gullett’s remains would be arriving home in a week to 10 days. He will be buried in a family cemetery with full firefighter honors in addition to his military rites, the family said.

Jeremy Gullett was the first soldier from northeastern Kentucky to be killed in the Middle East since April 2007, when Cpl. Joey Cantrell, 23, of Westwood, was killed by a roadside bomb in Taji, Iraq.

KENNETH HART can be reached at khart@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2654.

        

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