Michael David P. Cardenaz, Army, Staff Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

Michael David P. Cardenaz, 29

Army, Staff Sergeant

Based: Ft. Carson, Colo.
2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: February 20, 2010
Kunar, Afghanistan
Married, 5 children
Gender: Male
Hometown: Corona
High School: Corona High (Corona)

Burial: Corona Sunnyslope Cemetery, Corona

Army Sgt. Michael David P. Cardenaz was a larger-than-life figure, those who knew him say.

A bald, bull of a guy, Cardenaz told a Colorado reporter in 2009 that he was an "old-school" soldier.

By then, he said, he had twice been hit by shrapnel, and had survived what he described as dozens of close calls with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. And a fellow soldier had died in his arms, he said.

"He was the bravest man I ever met," said John Maldonado, who served with Cardenaz in Kosovo and Germany.

Cardenaz had served in Kosovo twice, in Iraq twice and was in the middle of an Afghanistan tour when he was killed in Kunar province by a rocket-propelled grenade Feb. 20, about a month before he was to return home.

His family said he had signed a 20-year contract with the Army not long before he died.

"You never knew if he was serious or about to break out into laughter," David Bellavia, a soldier and author who served with Cardenaz, wrote on a page of his website dedicated to "Fallen Heroes." "He would borrow a cigarette off you and then complain about your brand."

Cardenaz was a staff sergeant assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division based at Ft. Carson, Colo. In Iraq, the battalion fought in some of the toughest battles in Ramadi and Baghdad.

In addition to his sister Priscilla, his wife and children, Cardenaz is survived by two other sisters, Monica and Sandra; a brother, Steven; and his parents, Miguel and Rosellen.

Cardenaz was buried at Corona Sunnyslope Cemetery.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Staff Sergeant Michael David P. Cardenaz here and read the Press-Enterprise article and find more about Sergeant Cardenaz at Military Times and Freedom Remembered.