Army Sgt. Nicholas M. Dickhut, 23, of Rochester, Minn.
Sgt Dickhut was assigned to 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.; died April 30, 2012 in Zharay, Afghanistan, from wounds caused by small-arms fire.
He was an award-winning chess player and helped found his high school chess club. He spent the last two years of high school earning Associate’s degree credits from Rochester Community College and was only one credit shy of his degree when he left high school.
Prior to joining the Army in 2008, he was a supervisor at Office Max. In the Army, he was a forward observer, a job that requires soldiers to call for indirect fire and air support into enemy positions.
He was described as a “beacon of duty, loyalty and selfless service”.
Despite a severe knee injury during a previous tour in Iraq, he fought tirelessly to remain fit for duty and dedicated his life to the profession he loved. He unfailingly gave 120% to everything he did. He was always smiling.
He and Aliesha Glidden were married October 28, 2011. They had been close friends since age 14.
Sergeant Dickhut was killed hours after phoning home. He had called his younger brother, David, to wish him a happy 9th birthday. Sergeant Dickhut told his family that he could not talk long as he was scheduled to go out on a mission - the mission that would be his last one. In his phone call, he talked to his family about his plans for the future. He was hoping to be assigned to an airborne unit jump school and was considering helicopter pilot training.
He loved serving his country and always looked forward to new experiences.
Army Sgt. Nicholas M. Dickhut was killed in action on 4/30/12.
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