Loss of Former Classmate in Afghanistan

[CNY Militaria]

I am saddened to report that a former classmate and ROTC cadet from my battalion was killed with several other soldiers on Wednesday by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. 1LT Mohsin Naqvi was among the best officers I have seen commissioned, having been to Afghanistan already as a medic prior to going through ROTC. Please remember his sacrafice and that of all service members in harms way.

 

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/09/ap_S...rKilled_091808/

[Bugme]

My deepest condolences to you at the loss of your friend and to 2nd Lt. Naqvi's family for the loss of a son and brother.

[jim2]

Sorry to hear about the loss of your friend. My thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends.

[bobgee]

Rest In Peace, Lt. Naqvi.

[teufelhunde.ret]

May he rest in peace - God Speed. Semper Fi, Darrell

[Jeeper704]

Our deepest condolences to you at the loss of your friend.

 

Bianca and Erwin

[ADMIN]

I'm very sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this sad time.

[ADMIN]

Here is an article and picture I found online to give a bit more background on this brave American:

 

 

Local Muslim soldier killed in bombing: 26-year-old man enlisted to serve, sacrifice for US

By Doyle Murphy

Times Herald-Record

September 19, 2008

 

Town of NEWBURGH — A soldier from Newburgh died Wednesday while on patrol in Afghanistan.

 

His name is Mohsin Naqvi, and his parents' house filled that night with friends and relatives. His father, Nazar, sat on a couch in the basement surrounded by other men. His 26-year-old son was a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, due to come home on leave in March or April.

 

They had spoken Tuesday morning about the trip back to Newburgh. Mohsin wanted to spend time with his wife and requested his leave to coincide with the spring break of his 18-year-old brother, Hassan.

 

Wednesday afternoon, a major and colonel knocked on Nazar's door to deliver the sparse details: Patrolling with four other soldiers. A roadside bomb. Killed instantly with his men.

 

An Army spokeswoman said she couldn't confirm details Thursday. It's the Army's policy to wait 24 hours after notifying families before publicly confirming casualties, and its public-affairs unit waits until all families have been told in incidents with multiple deaths.

 

Nazar stared at nothing in the middle of the room late Wednesday night. The news was five hours old.

 

"He always wanted to lead his people," Nazar said. "He wanted to sacrifice for his country."

 

His country was the United States, no matter how many drill sergeants pronounced his Arabic name and asked: "Are you sure you're in the right army?" No matter how many times commanding officers wanted to chat about loyalties.

 

"We're a Muslim family, OK?" his sister, Tasneem, said. She wants people to know her brother was an American patriot and a Muslim, and those two things don't conflict. It burns her to even feel compelled to say this. But she says news media have skewed the image of Muslims since Sept. 11, 2001.

 

"I think he's proven himself," she said. "He has proven he is not the type of Muslim the media says we are."

 

Mohsin graduated from Newburgh Free Academy. He planned to join the Army right then, but Nazar persuaded him to go to college first. He had finished about two years of schooling by the time of the Sept. 11 attacks. He enlisted four days later.

 

Mohsin was part of the invasion of Iraq as an Army reservist. When he came home in 2003, he finished his bachelor's and earned a master's in computer science from the Rochester Institute of Technology. Then he re-enlisted for active duty.

 

Tasneem says her brother knew some would be suspicious of his religion and Pakistani heritage, but he was determined to serve anyway. He planned to make a career in the Army. He spoke Urdu and was rising fast through the ranks, working as an interpreter in Afghanistan.

 

He told Tasneem: "The only way I'm going to leave the Army is if I retire or if they make me, which I won't let them."

 

Hassan wore his brother's dog tags around his neck Wednesday night, just as he had done every day since Mohsin gave them to him. They had been together three months before, when Mohsin married Raazia in a small ceremony. Mohsin was due in Fort Benning, Ga., the next day and would fly to Afghanistan less than two weeks later.

 

"Before he left," Hassan said, "I asked if he wanted to go, and he said, 'Yes, it's my job.'"

 

Friends and relatives met with military officials Thursday to discuss how Mohsin's body would be returned from Afghanistan and to begin planning the funeral. He will be buried in an Albany cemetery, though the date wasn't set. Relatives say he's a martyr because he died fighting for his country.

 

Eric Hunt, a neighbor, friend of the family, and member of the U.S. Army, embraces Mohsin Naqvi’s father, Nazar Thursday. Mohsin Naqvi was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan. Imams Muhammad Asil Khan, left, of Wappingers Falls and Siyalvy Sharif of Pakistan were helping to comfort the family.

 

Pictures and Text from:http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/.../NEWS/809190359

[CNY Militaria]

Another Article and picture-- He was married 2 weeks before deploying to Afghanistran.

 

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pb...EWS01/809190341

 

NEWBURGH - The Mid-Hudson Islamic Association is holding a prayer service today in honor of a Newburgh soldier who was killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday by a roadside bomb.

 

Mohsin Naqvi, of Newburgh, was a Muslim and a charter member of the mosque on All Angels Hill Road. The service begins at 1 p.m.

 

Naqvi's family plans to hold a memorial service at a mosque in Albany.

 

Naqvi, a second lieutenant with the U.S. Army, was among a group of five soldiers who were killed while on patrol in Afghanistan. He was 26 years old.

 

Family members said the Army informed them of his death at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

 

Naqvi, who comes from a Muslim family of Pakistani heritage, graduated from Newburgh Free Academy in 2000. He enrolled in the Army Reserve days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, his family said.

 

"He had already expressed that he wanted to enlist in the Army," said Tasneem Ali, Naqvi's sister and a resident of Mechanicville, Saratoga County. "September 11 had kind of made the decision for him."

 

She said the family tried to convince Naqvi to leave the Army after he came back from his first tour in Iraq. From time to time, Ali said, Naqvi had to put up with comments from people who questioned his loyalty or his desire to fight for his country.

 

She said those comments had taken a toll on the family.

 

"Honestly, I told him that it wasn't worth it," Ali said. "He was only a reservist at the time. But he said this is what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He said, 'This is going to be my career,' and that 'The only way I'm getting out of the Army is if they kick me out,' which isn't going to happen, 'or if I retire.' "

 

Naqvi leaves behind his 20-year-old wife, Raazia, who is staying with Ali's family in Mechanicville.

 

Army officials did not release any information on Naqvi's death Thursday. An Army spokesman said it typically takes 48 hours after an incident before the Army releases public information about any casualties.

 

Naqvi was a charter member of the Mid-Hudson Islamic Association, and whenever he wasn't on active duty, he would take time to visit the mosque in Wappingers Falls, said Aziz Ahsan, who is also a charter member of the Islamic Association.

 

"He was a wonderful kid and I was really really proud of him," Ahsan said. "He was such a warm, charming individual - full of energy."

 

Ahsan wrote an e-mail to the Poughkeepsie Journal Wednesday, notifying reporters of his friend's death.

 

"The American-Muslim community of the Hudson Valley was very proud of him as he was a leader not only to our youth, but also was passionate about his service to his country," Ahsan wrote. "My son Shahzad was in awe of him and looked at him not only as an elder brother but also as a mentor. Mohsin's younger brother Hassan and Shahzad are best friends and so it is affecting our family and community in more than one way."

 

In 2003, hundreds of Hudson Valley Muslims gathered to observe Eid ul-Fitr, the three-day festival that celebrates the end of the holy month of Ramadan.

 

Surprise visit home

Naqvi had just returned from Iraq and surprised his family in Newburgh the night before the Eid celebration.

 

"This is the best Eid of my life," Naqvi's father, Nazar, said in an interview then.

 

Naqvi had been stationed in the Iraqi city of Balad for four months with a combat medical team. He said he was still adjusting to life back in America.

 

"It's still a little weird having running water," he said at the time.

 

He said that while in Iraq, he came under heavy mortar fire and had to sleep in his combat gear.

 

"It was scary at times," he said. "I knew everyone in the community was praying for me."

 

Family said definite memorial plans have not been made, but those who wish to honor Naqvi are welcome to attend a special prayer this afternoon at the Mid-Hudson Islamic Association.

[Dirk]

Very moving thread and honored such a man served our armed forces....he is a true American.

[bobgee]

..............an especially sad loss of an American Patriot..........the kind we need more of.............Bobgee

[Andrei]

Schottzie, I am sorry for the loss of your friend and comrade. May he Rest In Peace.

[CNY Militaria]

Thanks for the prayers and well-wishes. He will always be remembered, never forgotten.

 

Justin

[Bluehawk]

Salute - and bless him...

[Mr-X]

Justin, sorry to hear of the loss of your classmate.

My condolences to the family.

[unterhund]

...all is well...safely rest...God is nigh...

 

God bless him, and all who wear our country's uniforms.

[patchtrader864]

very sorry for your loss .