DOB/DOD: November 23, 1990 (New Milford, CT) – September 5, 2013; 22 years old
MARITAL STATUS: Unmarried
LOCAL ADDRESS: Farmers Lane; New Fairfield
ENLISTMENT: 2008
AIR FORCE SPECIALTY CODE: 3P0X1; Security Forces
UNIT: His Air National Guard Unit was the 105th Security Forces Squadron, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York. He was assigned to Reaper Team 7, Maneuver Flight, 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Group, 445th Air Expeditionary Wing; Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan. The team from the 105th was integrated with the 820th Base Defense Group from Moody Air Force Base, Georgia.
FAMILY: Born to Todd J. Sr. (1968-) and Linda Strid Lobraico Rohatsch (1968-) [both members of the New York Air National Guard]. One sister, Jessika M. Lobraico Fernandez (1988-). One half-brother, Nicholas J. (2002-). One stepsister, Haley Rohatsch (1992-), and one half-sister, Alexa Lobraico (2005-). Stepfather, Dr. Ralph R. “Rob” Rohatsch III (1966-). Stepmother, Dianne Debetta Lobraico (1976-).
DECORATIONS: Awarded the Air Force Combat Action Medal, Bronze Star Medal with V device for valor, Purple Heart Medal, Meritorious Unit Award, Air Force Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal with device, Global War on Terrorism Medal (Expeditionary), Air Force Overseas Short Tour Ribbon, Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon, Armed Forces Reserve Medal with “M” device, Air Force Training Ribbon, and the New York State Humane Service Medal.
CIRCUMSTANCES: The unit was conducting patrols via Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAPs). They are light tactical vehicles used by the United States military to protect against improvised explosive devices (IEDs), mines, and small arms. The mission was to get dropped off to “infil” (enter the area), patrol, and then meet the vehicles in another location to “exfil” (leave the area). TJ interrupted an enemy team and prevented an ambush that would have devastated his team. During the ensuing firefight, TJ was shot by small arms fire. He was evacuated but didn’t survive the incident.
OTHER: He was the last person from Connecticut to be lost in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the subject of the movie Family Mission: The TJ Lobraico Story.
New Fairfield High School Class of 2008
Citation to accompany the award of the Bronze Star Medal
TO
Staff Sergeant Todd J. Lobraico Jr.
FOR
Staff Sergeant Todd J. Lobraico Jr. distinguished himself by heroism as Truck Commander, Reaper 7, Maneuver Flight, 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron, 455th Expeditionary Security Forces Group, 445th Air Expeditionary Wing, Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, while engaged in action against an enemy of the United States near Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, on 5 September 2013. On that date, Sergeant Lobraico volunteered to establish a listening and observation post eight miles from base in known hostile enemy territory. Despite the inherent risks, he volunteered to take the point position on this mission, scouting ahead and providing security for his fire team. Sergeant Lobraico discovered a large, numerically superior insurgent force in the midst of establishing a planned combined rocket-propelled grenade, improvised explosive device, and small arms complex ambush of his fire team. With total disregard for his own safety, he placed himself directly between his fire team and the insurgents, who unleashed a hellish barrage of rocket, grenade, and small arms fire. Sergeant Lobraico took immediate and decisive actions while braving this intense enemy fire and was mortally wounded while directing the maneuver of his fire team to covered positions from which they could effectively defend themselves and return fire on the enemy positions. His actions were instrumental in gaining fire superiority and the survival of his team. Sergeant Lobraico’s remarkable heroism, valorous actions, and selfless commitment to his fellow Defenders resulted in the removal of numerous insurgents from the battlefield at the cost of his own life. By his heroic actions and unselfish dedication to duty in the service of his country, Sergeant Lobraico has reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
WEBMASTER NOTE: When awarded for acts of heroism, the medal is awarded with the “V” device.
From The Hartford Courant on September 7, 2013
By Kelly Glista
STATE MAN DIES SERVING IN AFGHANISTAN
NEW FAIRFIELD — A 22-year-old graduate of New Fairfield High School who was killed in action while serving in the U.S. Air Force in Afghanistan was remembered Friday by school officials as a kind and dedicated young man. Todd James “TJ” Lobraico, a resident of Sherman, was a 2008 graduate of New Fairfield High, said First Selectman Susan Chapman. Sherman has no high school; students attend schools in nearby towns. “It was this compassion and sense of honor and duty that led him to proudly serve his country,” said Chris Welter, Lobraico’s former social studies teacher at the school. “Our community and our country have lost an amazing young man.” Lobraico was a staff sergeant in the Air Force, serving as part of Operation Enduring Freedom, according to the US. Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations. His remains are expected to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday. The circumstances of his death were not immediately available. A press release from Gov. Dannel P. Malloy said Lobraico, a member of the New York Air National Guard, was killed in action on Thursday. Malloy ordered flags in the state to half-staff in the staff sergeant’s honor. “This loss reminds us of the dangers Lobraico faced by our men and women stationed overseas,” Malloy said. “We should all be grateful for their service and sacrifices to our country.” Lobraico’s mother, Diane Lobraico, was the New Fairfield tax collector until July, when she resigned, Chapman said. A candlelight vigil is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Sunday at the town senior center before the town’s 9/11 memorial ceremony. “He will be remembered for his smile and support of school programs,” said Alicia Roy, New Fairfield’s superintendent of schools. “We are proud of students who choose to join the military to defend the United States. We are deeply saddened when that commitment costs the ultimate sacrifice. We will always remember and be thankful for TJ’s dedication to our country.” In a statement issued Friday evening, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal called Lobraico “courageous and patriotic.” “Staff Sergeant Lobraico’s service and sacrifice should be a source of pride and gratitude for all of us,” he said. “Our hearts and prayers go to his family and loved ones as well as to the brave, dedicated men and women who continue to serve.”
From The Hartford Courant on September 9, 2013
By Jesse Leavenworth and Nicholas Rondinone
FOR HIS SERVICE
Slain Air Force Staff Sergeant Honored At Vigil In Hometown
NEW FAIRFIELD — At a ceremony planned to honor the 12th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, scores of people came out to honor a native who died recently while deployed in Afghanistan. At a vigil outside the town’s senior center, members of the armed forces joined family, friends, and others who came out to remember Air Force Staff Sergeant Todd James “TJ” Lobraico Jr, 22, of New Fairfield, and also to honor the victims of 9/11. “The recent passing of Staff Sergeant TJ Lobraico serves as a reminder to everyone that we should never forget the events of (September 11],” said New Fairfield First Selectman Susan Chapman. “Our community has paid a high price for the events of that day, and I ask that we all never forget.” Lobraico was on his second combat tour when he was wounded by small arms fire near Bagram Airfield, according to a release from the U.S. Department of Defense. He was the first member of the New York Air National Guard to die in a combat zone since September 11, 2001, according to the release. Lobraico’s remains were expected to arrive at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday. A friend of Lobraico’s, John Pastore of New Fairfield, remembered him as a person who never turned down a request for help. “He was one of those kids that never said no to anything. … He always was willing to do anything,” Pastore said. “He helped those around him,” Pastore said. He remembered one time when he asked a dozen or so friends, including Lobraico, to help him move out of his apartment, and Lobraico was the only one who showed up. Friends at the vigil wore tuxedo T-shirts, a personal favorite of Lobraico’s, to honor their fallen friend, according to a friend who didn’t wish to have his name in the paper. Lobraico, a 2008 graduate of New Fairfield High School, was assigned to the 105th Security Forces Squadron at Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York. Chaplain Eric Wishmar of the Connecticut Air Guard told those in attendance that his team fought much like the Army. Lobraico was sent with a team to Afghanistan at the end of June. Lobraico also had served in Iraq from December 2010 to June 2011, according to the New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs. In remarks, Wishmar noted Lobraico’s many service awards and medals, including the Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon and the National Defense Service Medal. “Sergeant Lobraico now joins the nearly 1 million other men and women who have died defending America since our nation’s founding,” Wishmar said. “His name will join the roll call faithfully shared by our veterans each year and those … who have laid down their life in service of our country.” “This fine, young airman had already served in a combat zone once before and knew the risks he was facing,” Colonel Timothy LaBarge, commander of the 105th Airlift Wing, said. “Despite that, he did his job professionally and with courage. He will be missed by all who served with him and knew him.” Governor Dannel P. Malloy ordered flags in Connecticut to half-staff in Lobraico’s honor. “This loss reminds us of the dangers faced by our men and women stationed overseas,” Malloy said. “We should all be grateful for their service and sacrifices to our country.” Lobraico was remembered by teachers as a kind young man who was involved in many charitable causes while at the high school. “It was this compassion and sense of honor and duty that led him to proudly serve his country,” his former social studies teacher, Chris Welter, said. “Our community and our country have lost an amazing young man.” “He will be remembered for his smile and support of school programs,’ Superintendent of Schools Alicia Roy said. “We are proud of students who choose to join the military to defend the United States. We are deeply saddened when that commitment costs the ultimate sacrifice. We will always remember and be thankful for TJ’s dedication to our country.” Lobraico comes from a military family. His father, Todd Lobraico, is an Air Force master sergeant who also serves with the 105th Security Forces Squadron, according to a news release from the New York state military affairs office. The senior Lobraico is also a Stamford police officer. The slain airman’s mother, Major Linda Rohatsch, commands the 105th Medical Group, the release said.
From AFCENT.AF.mil on September 9, 2013
By Tech Sergeant Rob Hazelett | 455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
Deployed 105 SFS remembers Dominguez, serve during 9/11 anniversary
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – September 11 is never too far from the hearts and minds of the 105th Security Forces Squadron (SFS) deployed here from Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, New York. Through mementos and each other, they remember one unit member who was killed during the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day when three passenger airplanes were hijacked and flown into the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington D.C., while a fourth airplane was hijacked and crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
Among those killed at the site of the World Trade Center was Staff Sergeant Jerome Dominguez, 105th SFS.
When Dominguez wasn’t wearing a US Air Force uniform for the New York ANG, he wore the uniform of the New York Police Department’s elite emergency service unit while he served and protected the people of New York City. He was an initial responder to the World Trade Center attack and was killed while evacuating people from the interior of WTC Tower #2 when it collapsed.
While twelve years have passed since the attack of September 11, deployed members from the 105th SFS keep the memory of their comrade alive by carrying an encased folded flag with a picture of Dominguez. The flag has been flown by the security forces personnel as they deploy around the world in support of operations to prevent future attacks on America.
“In addition to the flag, the team carries a historical folder documenting this practice through the years and deployment locations,” said Master Sergeant Anthony Kavouras, 755th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron Reaper 7 NCO in charge of the tactical operations center, who knew Dominguez personally. “We have not forgotten to carry his memory with us everywhere we go.”
The quest to carry the mementos is inspirational, considering there were others there from the squadron in harm’s way after the buildings had fallen.
“I was one of the first responders to ground zero along with about 18 others who went there looking to see if we could rescue him,” said Kavouras, a native of the Bronx.
Other security forces members here added why it was important to them to be here serving on a deployment during the September 11th anniversary.
Master Sergeant Shawn Knowlton, 755 ESFS Reaper 4 squad leader, deployed from the 105th SFS, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, and a 19-year veteran, said he remembers vividly where he was on that day twelve years ago.
“I was in the North Carolina Air National Guard at the time. I woke up and reported to base for activation,” said Knowlton, a native from Watertown, New York, on his fifth deployment, and works as a federal agent with the Department of Homeland Security, when not on military orders. “I feel proud to serve on this date in a deployed location, representing the Air Force, Air National Guard, and state of New York.”
Another security forces service member said it was with great honor to be here during this time.
“The 105th SFS stands strong together and on the war on terrorism due to our member that was lost on 9/11,” said Technical Sergeant Michael Pacenza, 755 ESFS Reaper 7 squad leader, deployed from the 105th SFS, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, and a 10-year Air Force veteran from Newburgh, New York.
Technical Sergeant Christopher Drews, 755 ESFS 2nd in charge quick-reaction team 4, deployed from the 105th SFS, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, is a 13-year military veteran who has served five years in the NY Air National Guard.
“Never forget, history always repeats itself, and if there is one thing I have learned about history is that men don’t learn from history,” Drews said.
Drews works as a police officer in New York and hails from Brooklyn, New York. He is on his sixth deployment, two of which have overlapped with the September 11th anniversary.
Another security forces member who is on his second deployment during the September 11 anniversary remembers his inspiration for serving and said it was bittersweet being here.
Senior Airman Adrian Torres, 755 ESFS gunner 240 B for QRT4, deployed from the 105th SFS, Stewart Air National Guard Base, Newburgh, New York, joined the Air Force a short time after the attacks.
“Nothing can bring back all that was lost, affected, and changed after that day, but being here with the 105th shows everyone the unbreakable resiliency and perseverance we as New Yorkers have acquired after that day,” Torres said, who is a police officer for New York State’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “We never quit and never stay down or depressed no matter what. We are here to win and are motivated to do something positive here.
“My father is a fire lieutenant in the New York Fire Department and responded to the attacks while off duty. His actions later instilled in me a sense of selfless service and inspired me to become a police officer in New York and join the Guard,” said Torres, a 3-year Air Force veteran who hails from Queens, N.Y.
Torres said he was a college student at the time of the attacks and saw the towers fall from his block in Queens.
“I knew my father was there before the buildings had collapsed and honestly thought he wasn’t coming back home, but thankfully, he returned home, covered in debris, later that night.”
Through it all, they have never forgotten Dominguez. He was their friend who gave his life doing a job he loved, and his legacy remains with them wherever they go, especially with the mementos their unit carries with them to ensure his memory lives on.
For more information on Staff Sergeant Dominguez, please see the video linked below on YouTube featuring fellow 105th Security Forces officer Master Sergeant Frank Berlanga, who was a close friend of Dominguez.
During the writing of this article, the 105th SFS lost another security forces member, Staff Sergeant Todd ‘T.J.’ Lobraico, during an outside-the-wire mission here on September 5, 2013. In keeping with their tradition, the 105th SFS will now carry a flag in his honor.
From a phone conversation between the webmaster and Tony Kavouras, TJ Lobraico’s team chief [used with permission].
Tony Kavouras was the team leader for TJ Lobraico. TJ was his favorite troop, and Tony mentored him to get promoted to Staff Sergeant, which TJ had “pinned on” just a few days before the incident that took his life.
TJ expressed concern about how far away the teams would get from the trucks when they were patrolling. Tony also expressed that concern up the chain of command, but the missions continued to the same area repetitively. Because of that, the enemy figured out their routine.
On TJ’s final mission, he was acting as the spotter for the dog handler. During the mission, the dog sat down, which is an indication that there was a bomb nearby. TJ looked over a mud wall and was fired upon by the enemy on the other side, so he returned fire. In doing that, he was struck twice. Tony requested another team, Reaper 9, to infil, and they took fire as well. Along the way, the trucks became stuck, so a “9-line” [air evacuation] was called to get TJ out of the area and to medical attention.
“It was a hairy night. I knew it was him, but all I could think was, ‘Don’t let it be him,’” Tony said.
The 105th Security Forces Squadron is well known as a group of great personalities. Two of the six 105th teams integrated with the 820th Air Base Defense Group from Moody Air Force Base. TJ’s bunkmate was an 820th asset who wasn’t happy being on a blended team. “He and TJ became good friends, and he was devastated when he found out TJ didn’t make it. He even spoke at TJ’s service in the field,” Tony said.
Tony Kavouras feels like he lost a brother. He has regrets because the cost of the mission was preventable.
From Moody.AF.Mil
Memorialized with a street naming in front of The Sherman School, where he attended.
Staff Sergeant Lobraico is buried in North Cemetery, 6 Church Road, Sherman, Connecticut.
