ENUMCLAW, WA, US
U.S. Army
SSG, CO A, 1ST BN, 32ND INFANTRY REGT, 3 IBCT, FORT DRUM, NY
10/10/2011, AHMAD KHAN, AFGHANISTAN
Army Staff Sergeant Nathan L. Wyrick died on October 10, 2011 of combat-related injuries during combat operations in Ahmad Khan, Afghanistan. He and his unit were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. He was part of the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, New York. He was a Supply Specialist.
Thirty-four year old Staff Sergeant Nathan Lee Wyrick was born in Palm Springs, California and grew up in the Puyallup, Washington area. He was also a resident of Enumclaw, Washington. Sgt. Wyrick joined the service after first pursuing a career as a civilian electrician. He served his first 4-year tour at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He was deployed for a year to Iraq and was serving his 2nd tour in the U.S. Army at Fort Drum, New York. He was a 1996 graduate of Franklin Pierce High School who played football and played for the school’s varsity football team.
He left a lasting mark on his friends at Lakewood’s New Hope Church. They remembered him as a generous man who had served in Iraq and looked out for other Army families coping with deployments to the Middle East. He was a dad first and foremost and a soldier second. Nathan loved his children so much that he had tattoos of their names. He also had affection for other children too and spent time with close friends’ children who called him “Uncle Nay-Nay” while their dad was deployed.
Another friend remembered Sgt. Wyrick as a “gung ho” soldier who never had a bad word to say about others. He was also very proud of the job he did. Other friends recall how openly he spoke with them about military life and sharing what it means to leave your family and the inherent risks and dangers in military service. He was a passionate dad who desperately loved his family and served in the military to honor and protect them.
He is survived by his parents, brother, his wife and four sons. His memory will also be kept by his grand and great grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.