Nicholas A. Sprovtsoff
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Marine Corps
April 4, 1983 – September 28, 2011
Age – 28
Davison, MI
Operation Enduring Freedom
1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, CA
Died while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan
Staff Sergeant Nicholas Sprovtsoff was born in Flint, MI and a 2001 graduate of Davison High School. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 2001and began his career as an Amphibious Assault Vehicle Crewman at Camp Pendleton, CA but later made a lateral move and attended the Explosive Ordinance Disposal School in 2009. He joined MARSOC in November 2009, and graduated from the Basic Reconnaissance Course and Advanced Improvised Explosive Disposal Course in 2010. SSgt. Sprovtsoff was a Green Belt Marine Corps Martial Arts Program instructor.
On September 28, 2011, during his last deployment with Alpha Company, 1st MSOB, based out of Camp Pendleton, while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom, SSgt. Sprovtsoff was killed during an IED blast while on combat patrol in Mirmandab. He attempted several times to defuse the IED, and his actions in identifying the IED and clearing the area saved the lives of countless others. SSgt. Sprovtsoff’s personal decorations include a Silver Star awarded posthumously in 2016, a Bronze Star with combat V, Purple Heart, Army Commendation Medal, Navy-Marine Corps Achievement Medal with combat V, Army Achievement Medal, two Combat Action Ribbons and three Good Conduct Medals.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he died in honor because he was such a wonderful human being,” White said. “He was a great kid.”
His mother, Sandee, she was impressed with her son’s commitment. “That’s a lot for a 19-year-old,” she said at the time. “He thought he was doing the right thing and he’s really committed to his nation and the people who have trained him — we’re behind him 100 percent.”
Nicholas was genuinely loved by many and will be forgotten by none. He loved being a Marine and was strong, smart and willing to do any job set before him. He balanced that inherent toughness with a dazzling, freckled grin and a kind heart, especially for his wife and children. He touched many lives and has left a monumental absence in the hearts of many.