The 25-year-old Air Force special operator killed in by a bomb in Afghanistan is being remembered as a compassionate hero
- Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin, 25, was one of four US troops killed in a roadside bomb explosion.
- In his profile of Elchin, Andrew Goldstein of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette paints a heart-wrenching portrait of a young and compassionate hero.
- "Dylan was very dedicated in everything that he did," his brother said.
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dylan Elchin was one of four US troops killed Tuesday when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device.
Sgt. Elchin, a 25-year-old from Beaver County, Pennsylvania, was highly decorated for his age, according to a report by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Interviews conducted by the newspaper show the sergeant was a devoted hero with a kind heart.
His brother, Aaron Elchin, told the newspaper about the last time he spoke with his younger brother, who was assigned to 26th Special Tactics Squadron.
"I told him that I love him," Elchin said in the interview. "And I didn't know that was going to be the last time I'd talk to him."
Sgt. Elchin's awards included the Bronze Star Medal, the military's fourth-highest award for meritorious service in a combat zone. He also received a Purple Heart and Commendation Medals from both the Air Force and the Army, according to the Post-Gazette.
Elchin told the newspaper he was not surprised that his brother received such high recognition.
"I think it is very unusual to be so highly decorated," he said. "But you've got to understand, Dylan was very dedicated in everything that he did."
Read more: The death toll for deadly roadside bomb blast in Afghanistan rises to 4 US troops
Sgt. Elchin enlisted as a combat controller in 2012. In high school, he had a variety of interests; he played the horn in the high school band and also participated in the school's shop program, according to the Post-Gazette. He was also known for his kind nature.
"[Dylan] was part of a student group who sent holiday cards to residents at McGuire Memorial, a school for students with individualized special education needs," said Carrie Rowe, Elchin's former middle school principal, told the newspaper. "Dylan's Beaver Area School District family will remember him as a young man with a kind heart, who was studious, curious about life, and loved his family."
Aaron Elchin told the Post-Gazette his family is living in a state of shock since learning about the explosion, one of the deadliest attacks against American forces since 2017.
"We're all basically waiting to wake up," he told the newspaper. "We feel like we're in a giant fog, and we just don't want to believe it."