Matthew Ignatius Pionk was born on October 10, 1977, in Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota. He was the son of Duane Gregory Pionk and Sandra Joy (Nace) Pionk. He was married to Melanie Pionk. He had served in the U.S. Army for nine years and was on his second tour of duty in Iraq. During his first deployment, Pionk earned a Bronze Star for aiding a wounded fellow soldier. He was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Vilseck, Germany, before deploying to Iraq.
On January 9, 2008, during Operation Iraqi Freedom, SFC Pionk was killed in action while leading his soldiers during a building-clearing operation in Sinsil, Diyala Province, approximately sixty miles north of Baghdad. Pionk and his team entered a house that had been cleared weeks earlier, unaware that insurgents had since returned and rigged the structure with explosives. A bomb planted inside the building was detonated, killing Pionk along with five other soldiers. He is now buried in the Calvary Cemetery, Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin, USA.
Source of information: www.findagrave.com, memorial.2dcavalryassociation.com, thefallen.militarytimes.com
PRIVATE CITIZENS SUPPORTING AMERICA'S HERITAGE
American
War Memorials Overseas, Inc.
War Memorials Overseas, Inc.
Pionk Matthew Ignatius
Name:
Matthew Ignatius Pionk
Rank:
Sergeant First Class
Serial Number:
Unit:
2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment
Date of Death:
2008-01-09
State:
Minnesota
Cemetery:
Calvary Cemetery, Superior, Douglas County, Wisconsin, USA
Plot:
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart Medal, Army Commendation Medal with V Device and Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Global War
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