Paratrooper - a former pastor in Pa. - killed in Afghanistan

"A former church pastor and Army paratrooper who completed a tour of duty in Iraq was killed by a grenade blast during combat in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon.

Staff Sgt. Troy S. Ezernack, 39, was the pastor of Trinity Baptist Church near the Lancaster County village of Elm for eight years before enlisting in the military in 1999.

Ezernack died Sunday of injuries sustained earlier in the day when his combat patrol was attacked. Ezernack was assigned to the 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade, based in Vicenza, Italy.

A church member heard Tuesday that Ezernack had been killed and parishioners gathered Wednesday night at the small church.

'I didn't really know God or the Bible before Troy taught me,' parishioner Kathy Balmer said. 'He helped give my life a purpose, and his death is a horrible thing.'
Ezernack baptized dozens of people, and sought to swell the church ranks by establishing a bus route to pick up children from the city of Lancaster.

The Louisiana native will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia and an Oct. 22 memorial service is scheduled in Shreveport, La. He left a wife, Gail.
Ezernack had planned to remain in Afghanistan for 10 more months before being transferred to a base in Louisiana. While in Iraq, Ezernack guarded government buildings during provincial elections in the northern city of Kirkuk.

In April 2003, Ezernack told The Philadelphia Inquirer: 'My biggest worry is that I would do something stupid and get somebody killed.'

A month later, he was interviewed by Stars and Stripes magazine about the elections.

"It's good they're electing officials. It's democracy come true, but I'm also happy for selfish reasons," he said. "I want to go home, and the sooner they take control of their own city, the sooner I'm outta here."