Sameer A. M. Rateb dies 'from injuries sustained from a non-combat related incident'

BRIGANTINE, N.J. — Mohamed Rateb had his vacation planned.

He was going to travel from his Brigantine home to South Carolina to meet his son, a paratrooper who would be on leave from Iraq starting Tuesday.

“Unfortunately, that never materialized,” Rateb said.

His son, Sgt. Sameer Rateb, 22, died Sunday from noncombat related causes in Bayji, Iraq, while serving at Forward Operating Base Summerall in Bayji. His death is under investigation.

“He joined the Army for all the right reasons,” Mohamed Rateb said of his son. “He felt very strongly about what he was doing.”
In fact, the three-year veteran had just re-enlisted for five more years.

“He enjoyed it,” his father said of Sameer's service. “He was proud of it.”

Rateb was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C.

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