Sean Grimes
Captain, United States Army
May 29, 1973 – March 4, 2005
Age – 31
Southfield, MI
Operation Iraqi Freedom
1st Infantry Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Camp Hovey, Korea
Died when an improvised explosive device detonated near his patrol in Ramadi, Iraq
CPT Sean P. Grimes served as a physician assistant deployed to Iraq with the 2nd Infantry Division.
Sean P. Grimes was born on 29 May 1973 in Pontiac, Michigan to Donald and Mary Grimes. After high school, he served in the Army Reserve as a medic in an aviation unit. He graduated from Michigan State University in 1997 with a degree in Nursing and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Nurse Corps.
While in Germany he deployed for six months to Kosovo where he served as an assistant head nurse. After his time in Europe he decided to broaden his skills and attended the Military Physician Assistant (PA) program and then reported to Korea in 2003. CPT Grimes served in Korea with 6-37 Field Artillery as their PA and also served for a time as the DIVARTY Surgeon. When the announcement was made that 1-9 would deploy, he volunteered to join the Manchus and serve as the battalion physician assistant for the deployment. CPT Grimes was a brilliant practitioner of medicine. In addition to his broad base of skills and experience in the medical field, his personality made him even more effective.
He had a great sense of humor and was dedicated to his friends and family. He was a man of the world who loved foreign travel and constantly sought out new experiences. He was always upbeat and positive, and one could never leave a conversation with him without feeling happier. Amongst CPT Grimes’ awards and decorations are the Bronze Star (Posthumous), the Purple Heart (Posthumous), the Army Commendation Medal, The Kosovo Campaign Medal, the Combat Medic Badge, Aviator Crewman’s wings, the Basic Parachutist Badge and the Air Assault Badge.
Those who knew him said his devotion to caring for Soldiers inspired him to apply and be accepted into IPAP. He began is classroom studies in 2001 and was assigned to Fort Campbell for Phase II. Physician assistant candidates rotate through about 20 primary care settings and specialty services, like dermatology, internal medicine, and behavioral health during their clinical training at Blanchfield in order to gain knowledge and experience before graduating and getting assigned to a unit.
Capt. Grimes completed his rotation at Blanchfield in May 2003 and served as a physician assistant and as Division Artillery Surgeon for the 6th Battalion, 37th Field Artillery in the Republic of Korea. When 1st Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division was ordered to deploy into combat as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Captain Grimes volunteered to deploy with the unit to serve as the battalion’s physician assistant.
In Iraq, Grimes volunteered for more than 80 patrols and raids and treated at least 25 Soldiers who were wounded in combat. On March 4, 2005 while on patrol in Iraq, he became the first military physician assistant to be killed in action.
Known for his dedication and commitment caring for Soldiers as a physician assistant in the Army’s Medical Specialist Corps, the Interservice Physician Assistant Phase II training site at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on Fort Campbell, Kentucky was formally named in his memory in 2011.