Daniel Brozovich killed by I.E.D.

Daniel Brozovich, who began military service as a gung-ho Marine and never lost that edge in 20 years with the Army National Guard, died Wednesday in a roadside bombing in Ashraf, Iraq.

Sgt. 1st Class Brozovich, 42, of Greenville in Mercer County, was on his second tour in the war. He never wavered about the worthiness of the cause, nor did he complain about the disruptions it caused in his civilian life, said his wife, Mary.

"He believed in his country. He wanted to keep it safe," she said in an interview yesterday.

Ryan Brozovich, the fallen soldier's 11-year-old son, said he took comfort in knowing that death came swiftly. "I'm glad he didn't suffer," Ryan said.

Three other soldiers from Western Pennsylvania who were riding in an armored vehicle with Sgt. Brozovich were seriously injured in the explosion.

They are Spc. Ryan Griffin, 39, of Point Breeze; Spc. Robert Kaminski, 26, of Shaler; and Pvt. Joshua Humberger, 20, of Grapeville in Westmoreland County. They were being treated at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.

Along with Sgt. Brozovich, three other Pennsylvania soldiers died in Iraq this week, all in roadside explosions, which have become the favorite tactic of terrorists.

Sgt. Brozovich spent much of his boyhood in the Pittsburgh area. His wife said he attended Avalon and North Hills schools before moving and graduating from Bedford High School in 1982.

He enlisted in the Marines at 18 and served for almost four years. Then he joined the National Guard in 1986, after his hitch in the corps ended.

Sgt. Brozovich had deployed three times since 2002 on active-duty missions. The first was to Europe to provide security at military installations. Then he served in Iraq in 2004 with the 28th Infantry Division. He returned in September as a member of the 1st Battalion, 213th Air Defense Artillery.

Three deployments in four years might have worn down some citizen-soldiers, but not him, Mary Brozovich said. He spoke to his wife and their son Wednesday morning through a Web-camera connection and was in high spirits.

"It was what he wanted," Mary Brozovich said.

Several hours after they talked, he died in the roadside blast while leading his men on patrol.

In civilian life, Sgt. Brozovich was employed by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections. He worked in correctional industries, supervising prisoners on job details. Initially assigned to Fayette County, he transferred last spring to the regional prison in Mercer County.

Before becoming a state employee, he worked for Werner Co. in Greenville, his wife said.

In addition to his wife and son, he is survived by a stepdaughter, Carrie Negrich of Greenville, and his parents, Anthony Brozovich of Sharon in Mercer County, and Gloria Pollock of Port Charlotte, Fla.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

From the Post Gazette