Hill airman from Roy killed in Iraq

Hill Air Force Base Tech. Sgt. Ryan A. Balmer, of Roy, was killed Tuesday in Kirkuk, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle.

Balmer was the fourth Hill airman killed in Iraq so far this year.

"He died doing what he loved," said his wife, Danielle Balmer, in a phone interview Wednesday.

Ryan Balmer, 33, is survived by his wife and three children, Joshua, 11, Anthony, 7, and Gabby, 11 months. He is originally from Mishawaka, Ind.

Balmer's wife said she would be ready to speak with reporters more in a few days. Airmen at Hill plan a memorial service for her husband on Friday afternoon at Hill's Hangar 37. It's not known yet whether Balmer will be buried in Utah or in his home state of Indiana.

Staff Sgt. Matthew J. Kuglics, 25, of Ohio, also died from wounds he received in the explosion. Kuglics was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. Both airmen were "special agents" assigned to the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. The Air Force's OSI employs 2,609 active-duty, reserve and civilian personnel.

Office of Special Investigation commander Gen. Dana Simmons called Balmer and Kuglics "warriors" who gave the ultimate sacrifice.

Maj. Gen. Kevin Sullivan, commander of Hill's Ogden Air Logistics Center, said, "This is a terrible loss, and we will fully support agent Balmer's family during this difficult time."

Hill's 75th Air Base Wing commander Col. Scott D. Chambers said in a news release that Balmer's death is a tragedy that affects the entire Air Force community, "because we have lost another hero."

At a news conference Wednesday afternoon on the base, Chambers said that with every success story in the Air Force, there are hardships that accompany those he called heroes, including Balmer and Kuglics.

"They will be terribly missed but never forgotten," Chambers said.

Balmer, part of Hill's OSI Detachment 113, was near the end of a 180-day deployment to Iraq. He was first in a three-vehicle convoy when the roadside bomb exploded.

Part of Balmer's job as an OSI agent, considered one of the most dangerous positions in the Air Force, was to help identify, investigate and neutralize "criminal, terrorist and espionage threats" to the Air Force and Department of Defense. Chambers said he could not talk about any details surrounding what type of mission Balmer was on when he was killed.

The Air Force's OSI has lost four agents, including Balmer and Kuglics, during the Iraq war.

At the time of the blast, Balmer and Kuglics were both wearing Paraclete body armor, which Air Force officials say is meant to protect the wearer against attacks with hand-held firearm ammunition. However, the armor is not meant to stop the kind of large projectiles believed to have killed both airmen.