Suicide bomber kills Bartlett soldier in Afghanistan

Never knowing when their next conversation would be, Rashmi Grieco and her husband made sure to kiss each other before hanging up the phone.

"We'd always make those smacking sounds," Rashmi said.

She never figured the few minutes spoken Saturday on his 35th birthday would be their last.

Sgt. Kevin D. Grieco, of Bartlett, died Monday in Baghlan, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.

Grieco and another soldier, Sgt. Nicholas A. Casey, 22, of Canton, Ohio, were killed as they prepared to enter a building, the Department of Defense reported.

"He was a good soldier who loved his country," Rashmi said. "But more than that, he was a wonderful man and father."

The two married five years ago and had two children, 4-year-old Joshua and 2-year-old Angeli. Shortly after their daughter's birth in 2006, Grieco enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard after 13 years of service in the U.S. Navy. He was due back Nov. 15 for a visit.

"He wanted to do more, be an officer, a major," said Rashmi, who was notified of Grieco's death Monday at work.

Grieco was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 122nd Field Artillery, based in Crestwood. In August, he was deployed to Afghanistan to provide security forces for police mentor teams.

Grieco's death was the third in his unit of about 220 soldiers, according to Maj. Brad Leighton of the Guard's public affairs office. The Illinois National Guard has suffered 19 casualties since operations in Afghanistan and Iraq began.

Rashmi supported her husband's decision to re-enlist because he loved what he did, but she questioned why he said he didn't mind dying for his country.

"I asked him, 'What will become of us? What will we do?'" recalls Rashmi. "He said we would be blessed and taken care of."

Grieco was involved in Boy Scouts, serving as an assistant scoutmaster and mentor to the teenage boys going through the program.

Pat Howe, 20, met Grieco about 10 years ago through the organization and kept in touch with him over the years.

"We used to go out backpacking and all that kind of stuff," Howe said.

Howe said Grieco motivated him to go into his field of mechanical engineering, which he's studying right now in college. He said Grieco would always talk about cars and do work on his own trucks, plus spend time off-roading.

"He was the guy who taught me to drive," Howe said.

Grieco, who went to high school in Waynesville, Mo., also thoroughly enjoyed being outdoors, which motivated much of his life.

"He couldn't stand staying indoors," Howe said. In fact, he started a part-time landscaping business so that he could work outside.

Jeff Howe, Pat's father, said he also became friends with Grieco because of their time heading up Boy Scout initiatives. He was at a send-off party for Grieco before his deployment to Afghanistan.

"He was looking forward to it. He was apprehensive about it, naturally," said Jeff Howe, of West Chicago. "I guess he just felt he had a duty to the country."

Pat Howe said Grieco, who was initially in the Navy Reserves, switched to the National Guard because he wanted to see more action.

"He wanted to go out there and make a little more of himself," Pat said.

Michael Johnson, who lives in Wauconda, served with Grieco for years in the Navy.

"He loved his family, his wife and his kids," Johnson said. "He was just trying to make his way in the world. He wouldn't hurt a fly."