Brent Dunkleberger remembered

NEW BLOOMFIELD - To his fellow firefighters at the New Bloomfield Fire Company, Army Sgt. Brent Dunkleberger will be remembered as Baby New Year 2000.

Dunkleberger played the role for the borough's New Year's Eve huckleberry drop at the Perry County Courthouse -- complete with sash, cloth diaper and bottle of champagne.

"He came walking down the street with a big smile on his face and that diaper," said Jim Swenson, who moved next door to the Dunkleberger family when he came to Perry County more than 20 years ago. "Next thing you know, he shook up the bottle and I got a champagne bath."

Dunkleberger, 29, a 1996 West Perry High School graduate, was killed in Iraq Tuesday when the Humvee in which he was riding came under attack, friends said.

Family members got the news of his death around 6 p.m. Tuesday from the Army.

Dunkleberger, a married father of four children, all under age 11, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, stationed at Fort Bliss, Texas.

The Pentagon said Dunkleberger died when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle during a convoy security mission in Mosul.

Word of Dunkleberger's death spread throughout the county yesterday. Those who knew him best remember his smile and his pleasant, joking personality.

"My memories of Brent include an infectious grin. He was always fun-loving," said Celia Elmes, a West Perry High School English teacher. "He will be missed."

Shortly after his appearance as Baby New Year, Dunkleberger announced to his friends at the fire hall that he decided to join the military.

"He was excited," Swenson said. "He told us he finally figured out what he wanted to do with his life."

Bill Grindle, an EMT with the ambulance company, remembered when Dunkleberger joined the department as junior member, about the same time he received his driver's license.

"We all thought a lot of him. He was a great kid," Grindle said, his voice cracking. "I think we're all still pretty much in shock."

In his senior yearbook, Dunkleberger joked about coming back to West Perry High School and taking the job of industrial arts teacher Tim McGowan. Superintendent David Hoover said McGowan was recently called to active military duty and shipped out to Iraq this month.

Dunkleberger's parents, William and Susan Dunkleberger, declined requests for an interview, but asked members of the community to keep them in their thoughts and prayers.

Jim Woods, a West Perry Middle School teacher, attends Messiah Lutheran Church in Elliottsburg with the Dunkleberger family. Like others, he remembered Brent Dunkleberger's personality.

"He was just a great kid," Woods said. "He always had a smile or joke for you. If you were down, he tried to cheer you up."

Dunkleberger is the second West Perry High School graduate to die in Iraq in the last 14 months.

Jason Frye, a 19-year-old lance corporal from Landisburg, died Oct. 6, 2005, with three other Marines in a roadside bombing outside the city of Fallujah.

"It's a rough day for his family and for this community," Austin said. "We're going to have to start trying to heal all over again."

From the Patriot News

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Brent W. Dunkleberger dies of injuries from rocket-propelled grenade