Ariel I. Gruenberg
Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army
May 27, 1989 – Feb 5, 2018
Age – 28
Clarkston, MI
3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Ft. Lewis, WA
Lost his life in an auto accident while on terminal leave
Ariel (Ari) Gruenberg, in transition to retirement from the Army, was driving home to Clarkston, Michigan from San Jose when he was tragically killed in a car accident in Iowa on February 5th, 2018.
Staff Sergeant Gruenberg served in the U.S. Army for nearly nine years. He served two tours in Afghanistan and was awarded an Army commendation with a V device for Valor. To Ari, the Army was part of his journey and he was on to a new adventure.
He had spent a year in Afghanistan with the 3rd Platoon, B company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne, Air Assault fighting insurgents in the Pech River Valley in Kunar Province which is one of the most dangerous places in Afghanistan.
Stationed close to neighboring Pakistan in places like Combat Outpost Michigan and OP Pride Rock, American Screaming Eagles and Afghan National Army troops went up against foreign fighters crossing the border. They fought in very primitive conditions, very close to the Pakistani border.
In one battle, an Afghan soldier next to Ariel triggered his RPG launcher and the rocket blew up in the shooter’s face. Ariel picked him up, carried him out of the line of fire, and provided first aid, saving his life. Other soldiers were hit, and he helped them, too, including tying on a tourniquet. He saved their lives.
For Ariel, the war wasn’t about politics or making Afghanistan free. It was about his fellow soldiers fighting alongside him. ‘I was proud to fight with them, he said. ‘We did a really hard job, physically, emotionally, and mentally demanding 100 percent of the time. It’s not a lot of fun being shot at, but I would not take anything I’ve done back.
He was named Soldier of the Month for January, and was honored by Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. and International Security Assistance forces, at an awards ceremony at Combat Outpost Honaker-Miracle in Kunar Province, March 31.
I thought he was pretty cool, Ariel said. ‘He knew about our unit and what we did throughout the whole year. He knew what each of us were receiving awards for. He wasn’t there just to cross the T’s and dot the I’s. He knew what was going on.
When Ariel decided to enlist, his father wasn’t surprised. He talked about joining the Marines, but decided on the Army. After the Army, he plans to go to college, perhaps to become a history teacher. Somewhere he didn’t have to shoot anyone.