Master Sergeant Kenneth Elwell, 33, of Holland, PA, died July 17, 2011 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device; he was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. Elwell was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska. The Council Rock High School North graduate served a prior tour in Afghanistan, Iraq, and South Korea before he made the ultimate sacrifice in Kandahar. Elwell was awarded a Purple Heart and was survived by his wife, Kristen, his children, Elise and Nikolas, mother, Janice, three brothers, Michael, Mahlon, and Scott, and sister, Susan Burkhard.

“I had 10 years with my best friend,” Kenneth’s wife Kristen told Eyewitness News by phone from Alaska. “People search their whole lives for what Kenny and I had, and they will never find it. I’m so lucky, that I had the time that I had with him.”

The Travis Manion Foundation honored MSG Elwell on Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, Jan. 21, 2013 when volunteers gathered at Washington Crossing National Cemetery and dedicated hours of community service to continue the Fallen Hero’s legacy.

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