Indiana soldier killed in Iraq combat

Associated Press

CROWN POINT, Ind. — A soldier from northwestern Indiana was killed during combat in Iraq just one month before his family said he was scheduled to return home.

Spc. Nick Idalski, 23, was killed Tuesday when his unit was attacked by small-arms fire west of Baghdad near the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, the Defense Department said Thursday.

His death raises to 43 the number of Indiana military personnel who have died after being deployed to Iraq.

Idalski, who graduated from Crown Point High School in 2001, enlisted less than two years ago after working in construction and becoming certified as an emergency medical technician.

A member of the Army’s 2nd Infantry Division, Idalski had been stationed in Ramadi since August and was due to return home in July, said his stepfather, Rick Greenberg. His unit had previously been stationed in South Korea.

Idalski’s mother, Kim Greenberg, remembers vividly watching her son at his infantry training graduation in September 2003 in Fort Benning, Ga.

“He looked phenomenal,” Greenberg said. “He looked sharp. He stood tall and proud. He was all Army.”

Idalski planned to make a career out of the Army, his family said.

Steve Idalski said his brother enlisted because he wanted to make a difference and make his family proud.

“He was a leader,” he said. “He wanted to be out there and prove a point that he could do anything that was thrown at him.”

Idalski was home for the last time in January when he was granted two weeks emergency leave because a family member was ill.