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Name: Army Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann
Age: 27
From: Marshfield, WI
Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
Incident: Army Staff Sgt. Joseph J. Altmann died Dec. 25 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with small arms fire.
&lsquoThis is what he wanted to do&rsquo
By Liz Welter
Marshfield (Wis.) News-Herald
The daylong Christmas festivities had quieted and night had settled at the Marshfield, Wis., home of John and Janice Altmann when Janice heard what she called the &ldquodreaded knock on the door.&rdquo
Their son, Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Altmann, 27, had been killed early Christmas Day during an insurgent attack in Kunar Province, Afghanistan.
&ldquoYou read about this happening to other families, and there&rsquos pain you feel for them. Then when it happens, it&rsquos devastating,&rdquo Janice Altmann said as she and her husband discussed the loss of their son, who served as a medic with the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He recently had re-enlisted and was known by family and friends as Joe, and his Army comrades referred to him as Doc.
Joe Altmann was due to return from this tour of duty in February or March, John Altmann said. He had served two previous tours of duty in Iraq.
&ldquoThis is what he wanted to do. He had just re-enlisted because he loved his job so much,&rdquo John Altmann said.
Altmann wasn&rsquot a stellar student or athlete at Columbus Catholic High School, from which he graduated in 2003, but he was a member of the school&rsquos football and baseball teams. Those who were close to him recalled him Tuesday as an all-around nice guy who had many friends and enjoyed sports and outdoor activities.
&ldquoJoe was a quiet man but had a heart of gold. He was always willing to help out in any way he could,&rdquo said Krisann Mauritz of Marshfield, who described herself as &ldquoProud Aunt of SGT Joe Altmann&rdquo in an email about her nephew.
As a teenager, Joe was content to hang out with his aunt and uncle at their home.
&ldquoHe would just show up on our doorstep and lay on our couch and watch movies with us. It&rsquos times like that I wish I could get back,&rdquo Mauritz said.
Sam Klumb of Marshfield, a friend of Joe&rsquos since kindergarten, said Altmann was a person of integrity and honesty.
&ldquoHe was quiet, but you knew you could count on him for anything,&rdquo Klumb said. &ldquoHe was a genuine person that cared about other people.&rdquo
Under Altmann&rsquos quiet demeanor ran a current of wit that usually caught others by surprise, Klumb said.
Describing how they hung out with friends as teenagers, Klumb said, &ldquoThings would get quiet, and Joe was always the guy that could make everyone laugh and kept things going.&rdquo
When both young men were choosing careers after high school, Altmann considered the military but chose college instead, where he became interested in the medical field, Klumb said. While attending the University of Wisconsin-Marshfield/Wood County, Altmann met with an Army recruiter and learned that his interests would serve him and his country well as a military medic.
&ldquoWhen he found out he liked [the medical field] and he could combine that with being a medic in the military, he found what he loved to do,&rdquo Klumb said.
Altmann joined the Army after one year of college and trained as a medic, fulfilling his passion, his father said.
&ldquoHe was really good at what he did. We&rsquore so proud of him. He was doing what he enjoyed,&rdquo John Altmann said. As parents, he and Janice understood the risks inherent to serving in the military, John Altmann said, but they supported his career choice. Neither of them served in the military.
In Facebook posts, Joe Altmann was remembered by members of his company Tuesday as a man who competently and quietly completed any task set before him. He was fondly remembered in the posts as &ldquoDoc&rdquo Altmann.
The Altmanns and their three adult children planned to escort the body from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to Marshfield.
&ldquoIt&rsquos the last thing we can do for him,&rdquo John Altmann said.
Died: December 25, 2011
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Condolences :
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Prayers & Condolences For:
Joseph J. Altmann
BY Anonymous on Dec 29, 2011 | |  | We Love you Joe...You are a true hero! You will always be honored for your courage and dignity. -Love Cousin Jen
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Prayers & Condolences For:
Joseph J. Altmann
BY John on Dec 28, 2011 | | | | May the grace of God, the love of Jesus, and the peace of the Holy Spirit be with you and your family forever.
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