DE SMET, S.D. (AP) — Relatives of a De Smet soldier who was killed in Afghanistan are mourning the loss of a man described as a family man, avid hunter and real hero.
Staff Sgt. Shane S. Barnard died May 19 of wounds sustained when he stepped on an improvised explosive device. The 38-year-old was assigned to the 3rd Ordnance Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state.
Barnard is survived by his wife and three children ages 8 to 14.
Barnard’s half-brother, Alex Botkin of De Smet, calls him a hero.
Botkin says Barnard first trained as a combat medic, but was reclassified as an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. He’d been in Afghanistan since March. He was in Iraq from April to September 2009.
Funeral arrangements are pending.