Army Pfc. Russell E. Madden

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pfc. Russell E. Madden, 29, of Dayton, Ky.

Pfc. Madden was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Conn Barracks, Germany; died June 23, 2010 at Charkh district, Konar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with rocket fire.

The father of 29-year-old Private First Class Russell Madden's says his son was his hero.

Russell Madden's father says his son wanted to be on the frontline to help his fellow soldiers fight the war in Afghanistan.

He says his son was killed after his convoy was hit by a rocket Wednesday.

Russ, as many of his family and friends called him, was on his first tour of duty.

His father, Martin Madden says his son was assigned as the lead gunner for convoy escorts.

Mr. Madden says his son had sent him an Airborne flag for Father's Day.

He says he told his wife, Russ's mother, that he would only fly it on special occasions.

He didn't think he would need to fly it less than a week after Father's Day.

"He was committed to his friends. I told him even out there that the Army wasn't sending him over there to die and to follow his training. I told him that if someone did something stupid, don't run out there and try and make it right by yourself because two men down is not a good strategy for success. And, he told me, he said Pop, I'm never going to leave one of my buddies. So we're proud of him," Mr. Martin said.

Russ Madden leaves behind his wife, two sons, a 12-year-old and a 5-year-old, his mother, father and two siblings.

His family says he joined the Army to help offer his family stability.

One of his son's had been in and out of the hospital, so the medical benefits the Army offered was an attractive incentive for him to enlist.

Russ was a graduate of Bellevue High School in 2000. The school staff say Madden had been a standout football player.

"He was a young man who was focused on getting his life to be the best life that it could be. I know that he was a good father and a good husband, a good son and a good brother. And, obviously he was a good soldier," said David Eckstein, Bellevue High School Assistant Principal.

Army Pfc. Russell E. Madden was killed in action on 6/23/10.