Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine is pictured in his Waldwick Warriors uniform in 2000. Photo Credit: Daily News
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We Honor and Remember:
Staff Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine
Hometown: Waldwick, NJ Age: 29 Died: March 27, 2012 supporting Operation Enduring Freedom Unit: 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, NC Birth: Aug. 21, 1982 Staff Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine, 29, of Waldwick, N.J., died March 27 while conducting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan. He was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C. Beloved son of Anthony and Patricia D'Augustine. Devoted brother of Michele, Nicole and Jennifer. Joseph graduated from Waldwick High School where he excelled in football and wrestling. The morning after he graduated high school Joseph went straight to Camp Lejune for boot camp. Joseph served in the United States Marine Corps for 11 years. His tours included Iraq (2), Afghanistan (2), South Korea, East Timor and Okinawa. He was stationed/resided in many locations but most notably in Camp Pendleton in San Diego, CA and Camp Lejune in North Carolina. On Tuesday April 3, 2012 Staff Sgt. Joseph D'Augustine was brought home to Waldwick as we honored him with a "Hero's Return" through the streets of Waldwick. Published in The Record/Herald News on April 1, 2012 Burial: Saint Lukes Roman Catholic Cemetery Ho-Ho-Kus Bergen County New Jersey, USA |
Twenty four hours after four Marines showed up at his parent's home on Campbell Street in Waldwick with news of his death, the family had gathered and members were rifling through boxes of photos of the 2001 Waldwick High School graduate to find one in which he was flashing just the right smile.
D'Augustine is survived by his parents, Anthony and Patricia, and sisters, Nicole, Jennifer and Michele and her husband, Len Kulesa of Mahwah. He also had two nephews and one niece.
Joseph D'Augustine left for boot camp the day after his graduation from Waldwick High School in 2001, his sisters said. This was his fourth tour; previous deployments had taken him to Iraq and Fallujah, Afghanistan.
"We loved him. He was a great brother, great uncle and great son," said Michele Kulesa. "My parents were really proud of him. His nephews looked up to him and couldn't wait for him to come home. He was a happy guy. God just took him too soon."
D'Augustine was a member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and belonged to Waldwick VFW Post 1049 and American Legion Nightengale Post 57, according to VFW commander Michael Echevarria.
"Not only did he want to be a Marine, but he wanted to be wherever the action was," Echevarria said in an interview March 28. "That's true of him with everything. In high school he was a hell of a linebacker and he was a great wrestler." Echevarria described D'Augustine as someone who "wasn't happy unless everyone around him was laughing." "Joey was the most fun-loving guy in the world," Echevarria said. "His smile would melt an iceberg."
VFW Vice Commander Brian Finale said he was "just astounded" when news about the death reached him March 27.
"He's such a great kid," Finale said March 28. "It's horrible."
Greg Weber, another '01 graduate of Waldwick High School and a captain in the U.S. Army, said he fought in some of the same areas with D'Augustine in Iraq.
"The nation has lost a great American this week," Weber wrote in an email March 28.
D'Augustine is survived by his parents, Anthony and Patricia, and sisters, Nicole, Jennifer and Michele and her husband, Len Kulesa of Mahwah. He also had two nephews and one niece.
Joseph D'Augustine left for boot camp the day after his graduation from Waldwick High School in 2001, his sisters said. This was his fourth tour; previous deployments had taken him to Iraq and Fallujah, Afghanistan.
"We loved him. He was a great brother, great uncle and great son," said Michele Kulesa. "My parents were really proud of him. His nephews looked up to him and couldn't wait for him to come home. He was a happy guy. God just took him too soon."
D'Augustine was a member of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit and belonged to Waldwick VFW Post 1049 and American Legion Nightengale Post 57, according to VFW commander Michael Echevarria.
"Not only did he want to be a Marine, but he wanted to be wherever the action was," Echevarria said in an interview March 28. "That's true of him with everything. In high school he was a hell of a linebacker and he was a great wrestler." Echevarria described D'Augustine as someone who "wasn't happy unless everyone around him was laughing." "Joey was the most fun-loving guy in the world," Echevarria said. "His smile would melt an iceberg."
VFW Vice Commander Brian Finale said he was "just astounded" when news about the death reached him March 27.
"He's such a great kid," Finale said March 28. "It's horrible."
Greg Weber, another '01 graduate of Waldwick High School and a captain in the U.S. Army, said he fought in some of the same areas with D'Augustine in Iraq.
"The nation has lost a great American this week," Weber wrote in an email March 28.
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