WATERVILLE, ME, US
U.S. Army
SPC, 707 ORDNANCE CO EOD, TF PALADIN
06/18/2010, SHANK, AFGHANISTAN
Army Specialist Wade A. Slack was killed in Jaghatun , Afghanistan, by insurgent indirect mortar fire. The twenty-one year old Army Specialist was assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), 3rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), according to a news release from Joint Base Lewis-McChord. He was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was his first deployment.
Wade Slack was born March 22, 1989. He was brought up and educated in Waterville, Maine. He graduated from Waterville High School in 2007. As a youngster, Wade was very involved in Boy Scouts and played little league in Waterville. He enjoyed doing all things outdoors, and he especially loved hunting. He was an avid video-gamer and collector of movies on DVD. Wade was a totally unselfish, compassionate, and giving person to everyone he came into contact with, directly and indirectly.
Slack was the son of Alan and Rose Slack of Waterville and Mary Slack of Waterville, and a 2007 Waterville Senior High School graduate.
Alan Slack, veterinarian at the New England Animal Hospital in Waterville, said Friday that his son “had been oriented for military service since 14” and that Wade Slack had enlisted while a senior in high school for specialized training that required “intelligence and a top-secret security background check.”
“It’s not something every person can qualify for,” Alan Slack said. “He had been in Afghanistan the last 10 months.
Alan Slack said his son was killed soon after his unit had completed the disposal of an improvised explosive device and was waiting to be airlifted back to its base.
According to unit records, Slack enlisted Sept. 1, 2006, in Portland. He reported to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., for basic training on July 11, 2007; then completed training in his military occupational specialty at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., and Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
On Sept. 16, 2008, he reported to then-Fort Lewis, Wash., where he was assigned to the 707th Ordnance Company (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), 3rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), according to a news release from Joint Base Lewis-McChord.
He was deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. It was his first deployment. Slack’s awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Badge.
Specialist Wade Slack lives in many memories held by those he loved. He was very close to his mother; as well as his father and stepmother. He had six brothers and sisters, and a special niece. His stepsister and brother and special, as were his “west coast parents”…an affirmation of the closeness which not only family, but also friends represent in Wade’s life. Wade will be sadly missed by these who loved him.
Gov. John Baldacci on Friday ordered flags lowered to half-staff on the day of Slack’s funeral.