Staff Sgt. Joshua Lee Rath
Born Jan. 17, 1986 in Tinley Park, IL
Died Jan. 8. 2009 in Maywand, Afghanistan
Army Staff Sgt. Josh Rath of Decatur, Alabama, the second of five children born to Leroy G. and Darlene L. Rath. Josh loved God, his family, and country. A typical kid growing up, he participated in soccer, football, basketball and was a lifeguard at Point Mallard. He was active in several other sporting events including rock climbing and swimming. A 2004 graduate of Austin Alabama High School, Josh had enlisted in the Army with a friend during school. He served a year in Germany, then a year in Iraq and was deployed to Afghanistan in July 2008, assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas. Josh was almost done with his five year enlistment, but his deployment delayed his release. Josh was killed when a suicide bomber drove an explosive-packed car into a crowded bazaar. He had plans to leave the military and go to college, and settle down with his long time girlfriend, Kim. Josh earned several military awards during his service, including four Army Achievement Medals. He was awarded The Purple Heart and Bronze Star Medal posthumously. Josh is buried in East Lawrence Memorial Gardens in Moulton, Alabama.
The Staff Sgt. Joshua Lee Rath by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
