JACKSONVILLE, IL, USA U.S. Army
SGT, CO C, 2ND BN, 87TH INF REG, 3RD BCT, FORT DRUM, NY 08/24/2011, KANDAHAR, AFGHANISTAN
An Illinois soldier has been killed while serving in Afghanistan, U.S. Army officials said.
Officials at Fort Drum in New York say 24-year-old Sgt. Andrew Tobin was killed Wednesday in Kandahar province when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire. Tobin, who is survived by his wife, Katie, most recently lived in Jacksonville.
An infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, Tobin joined the Army in January 2008. He’d been deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and returned there in March 2011.
“He was sitting on a couch in my living room three weeks ago, talking about going back there,” Manteno High School wrestling teammate Larry George told the Daily Journal of Kankakee. “He was the kind of person you wanted to surround yourself with. This was going to be his last tour of duty.”
Tobin was described by friends as a “jokester,” ”goofball” and “class clown.” People also say they were impressed with his modesty, amiability and dedication.
“He sat around with my dad and talked about the military,” cousin Pam Thompson, of Bradley, told The Daily Journal. “I think he liked (the military), because he never complained about it. He wanted to become a recruiter so he could work 9 to 5 and be able to stay home with his wife. He loved his wife. He loved his whole family.”
In addition to his wife, Tobin is survived by his mother, Lee Ann Smith, of Los Angeles; his father, Nicholas D, Tobin, Sr., also of California; and a brother, Nicholas Jr., of Riverside, Calif.