Killed In Afghanistan
As a paratrooper and nurse, Staff Sgt. Ronald Jay Spino's job was to help the wounded.
But no one could save the Waterbury native Tuesday when he was fatally shot while serving with the U.S. Army in Bala Morghab, Afghanistan.
Spino, 45, was shot in the back while unloading medical supplies, said his cousin, Judi Van Alstyne of Berlin. He was assigned to the 274th Foward Surgical Team, 44th Medical Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., according to the Department of Defense.
The circumstances of his death are under investigation, stated the DOD in its Thursday announcement of the casualty.
Gov. M. Jodi Rell ordered U.S. and state flags lowered at half-staff in honor of Spino. The flags are to remain at half-staff until sundown on the date of his interment, which had not yet been determined.
"This brave and dedicated medic dedicated his military career to treating the fallen on the battlefield," Rell said in a written statement. "Not only did Staff Sergeant Spino care for their wounds, he was trained to take extraordinary risks — including combat parachute jumps — to place himself as close to them as possible to provide the very best care."
Spino leaves his wife, Betty — whom he met in the military — and a stepdaughter, Kandice, 24. His parents, Rita and James Spino, raised him in Waterbury with his brothers, Glen and James Jr., and his sister, Maryanne. His home with Betty is in Fayetteville, N.C., near Fort Bragg.
Spino graduated from Holy Cross High School and Teikyo Post University, now known simply as Post University. He worked in the records room of Waterbury Hospital, where his mother also worked.
There, Spino was known as a conscientious but quiet worker, said Kathy Mancini, a fellow records employee, through hospital spokesman Matt Burgard. If someone needed information, Burgard said, "he'd go out of his way to help."
His mother said, "I was outgoing, but my son was quite shy. He blossomed when he joined the service. It was his true love."
Spino joined the Army in 1993 at age 29. At first, he was a medic, his mother said. Then he became a nurse, then a paratrooper and, finally, a paratrooper/nurse, trained to parachute into war-torn areas and help injured soldiers.
This was his fifth assignment, she said; he was transferred from Iraq to Afghanistan two weeks ago.
His body is scheduled to be flown to Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Friday, his mother said.
"He'll be coming home on New Year's Day."
•Staff writers David Owens and Hilda Munoz and senior information specialist Tina Bachetti contributed to this story.
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