Mary Ann May remembers her nephew, Mark Stets Jr., as a dedicated soldier.
May, a Lewiston resident, is hoping Stets’ death will serve as a reminder to all Americans of the sacrifice being made each day by members of the military just like him.
“The emphasis needs to be on the brave men and women who are fighting for a cause,” said May, whose nephew was killed Wednesday while on duty in Pakistan. “The politicians — I don’t care what they say. The focus needs to be on the men and women who are doing their jobs.”
Stets Jr., a staff sergeant with the U.S. Army Special Forces, was doing his job in Islamabad when a roadside bomb detonated, killing him and six other people. The 39-year-old was deployed to Pakistan as part of a non-combat training mission involving Pakistani security forces. He lived in Virginia Beach, Va., with his wife and three daughters, but often visited Lewiston during the summer, spending time with May and her husband, Tom, and his grandparents, Karl Stets, the long-time woodshop teacher at Gaskill Junior High School in Niagara Falls, and Mary Elizabeth Stets, a former teacher at the old Military Road Elementary School in the Niagara-Wheatfield School District.
May said her nephew expressed an interest in the military at a young age and was particularly fond of the international air show held each year at the Niagara Falls International Airport.
“He was born to do what he did,” she said. “From the day he started walking, he always wanted to serve in the military. He always wanted to make a difference.”
Stets Jr. followed in the footsteps of his father, Mark Stets Sr., who served in the U.S. Navy. Stets Jr. also served in the Navy but switched to the Army after a single tour of duty. His military career spanned nearly two decades and included stints in Korea, Iraq, Iran and Pakistan.
May said he loved his work and his country.
“He was dedicated to his mission,” she said. “He loved what he was doing. He took pride in it.”
Stets Jr. was most recently deployed as a member of a Psychological Operations detachment out of Fort Bragg, N.C. The unit provided training to Pakistani security forces in an effort to help them combat al-Qaida members along the country’s border and to fight Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. He was returning from a mission outside Islamabad when the remote bomb detonated.
While considered more of a non-combat mission, May said the family understood the danger he faced.
“It can happen to anybody at any time but you never think it’s going to happen to one of your own,” she said.
The Stets family was scheduled to receive the 39-year-old staff sergeant’s body Thursday at Dover Air Force Base. May said his body will be cremated and his remains will be interred at Arlington National Cemetery.
May asked residents in Niagara County to honor her nephew by either volunteering their time or donating money to local veterans service organizations.
“They need to be remembered,” she said. “They need to be taken care of, whether they served five minutes or their entire lives.”
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LEWISTON: Family recalls fallen soldier
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