Thomas Taschner Handwork was born on September 4, 1960, in Ohi. He was the son of Jack and Trudy Handwork and brother of John, Charles, Tammy, and Shannon of Beavercreek, Ohio. He graduated from Boardman High School in Youngstown, Ohio, in 1979.

SSgt Handwork was one of the American victims of the Salvadoran civil war. He was killed by terrorists armed with automatic weapons at a cafe. At around 9 p.m. on June 19, 1985, in an area of San Salvador known as the "Zona Rosa," where there are many restaurants, a group of armed men opened fire on a group of United States marines. The assailants were members of the Partido Revolucionario de Trabajadores Centroamericanos (PRTC), one of the organizations in FMLN. The marines, who were serving as security guards at the United States Embassy in San Salvador, were in civilian clothing and were unarmed. Four U.S. Marines and 2 American businessmen are among 13 people killed in a machine gun attack. The "Mardoqueo Cruz" urban commando of PRTC claimed responsibility for the killings; FMLN defended the attack in a communique. In a subsequent trial, three people were tried and convicted.

SSgt Handwork is now buried in the Mount Zion Shoup Cemetery, Beavercreek, Greene County, Ohio, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com