FORT INDIANTOWN GAP: A
Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldier was
killed in Khadasia, Iraq, by a suicide bomber,
Sunday, May 22.
Sgt. Carl Morgain, 40, Butler, was providing
security outside an Iraqi police station
when a vehicle with taxi markings pulled
near his HMMWV and exploded.
The 9:52 a.m. blast also injured three other
Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers and
four Iraqi police, none of them seriously.
“Sgt. Morgain exemplified the level of
commitment our Pennsylvania National Guard
members give everyday,” said Governor Edward
G. Rendell. “With 1,000 of our Guard troops
in Iraq and 2,200 who will soon arrive, our
troops have answered the call to duty in
defense of not only the Commonwealth but the
nation. When we pause to remember this fine
soldier, we should remember those who
continue to serve and pray for their safe
return. Our thoughts and prayers are with
the Morgain family during this difficult
time."
Morgain was sitting in the turret when the
vehicle detonated some 10 yards from his
location. He was initially transported to
Speicher Combat Support Hospital and then
airlifted to a hospital in Balad, where he
died of traumatic head wounds.
“This is a tremendous loss for the
Pennsylvania National Guard,” said Maj. Gen.
Jessica Wright, the adjutant general. “Our
thoughts and prayers are with his wife,
Janice, his children, and his extended
family.”
Morgain was with 11 unit members, part of a
four HMMWV detail, providing security while
the unit commander met with Iraqi police.
The unit, Company A (-), 1st Battalion,
112th Infantry, Butler, is part of Task
Force Dragoon, a force of 750 Pennsylvania
Army National Guard soldiers. Task Force
Dragoon deployed to Iraq in December for a
one-year assignment.
“He was a very popular soldier in Task Force
Dragoon during our training at Ft. Bliss and
Ft. Polk,” said Lt. Col. Philip Logan,
commander of the Pennsylvania National Guard
Task Force in Iraq. “He was a great
soldier, and will be missed by all of us
here. We will honor his memory by
continuing the fight.”
The other injured soldiers were Staff Sgt.
Steven Kerr, 35, Bradford; Spc. Matthew
Sweigart, 24, Mechanicsburg; and Staff Sgt.
John Williams II, 43, Mechanicsburg. All
injured soldiers are members of the 112th
and will return to duty.
Morgain joined the Pennsylvania National
Guard in June 2000 as a traditional Guard
member. He served four years of duty in the
active Army from 1982 to 1986. In his
civilian career, Morgain was employed by T.W.
Phillips Gas and Oil Co., Butler.
He is survived by his wife, the former
Janice Elaine Sanky, 40; daughter, Madison
Marie Morgain, 12; stepson, Zachary Taylor
Macurak, 17; and his mother Carol Fay
Morgain. Morgain’s wife is head of “Support
our Soldiers,” a non-profit organization
that has raised thousands of dollars from
local merchants in the Butler area. In
turn, the organization sent care packages to
deployed soldiers. A trust for the Morgain
family has been set up with the National
City Bank of Pennsylvania.
Morgain is the fourth Pennsylvania National
Guard soldier to die of combat wounds in
Iraq. He will be posthumously awarded the
Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Combat
Infantry Badge.
The Army is investigating the incident.
