Master Sgt. 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.