Who was Capt. Kevin Landeck

"T-shirts for Troops" is saddened by the loss of Capt. Kevin Landeck. Captain Landeck died on February 2, in Baghdad, of wounds suffered when an IED detonated near his vehicle. Staff Sgt. Terrence Dunn was also killed. Both men were assigned to the 10th Mountain Division, Fort Drum, NY.

At a memorial service in Iraq, Chaplain Richard West said "he was known for his competency, his intensity....and his hair!" Landeck was remembered as a platoon leader with a sense of humor matched only by his skills as an infantryman.

Kevin, who turned 26 years old on January 30th, hailed from Wheaton, Illinois. He went to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. where he joined the ROTC. He majored in criminal justice.

Kevin met with wife Bethany at school. Bethany is also an officer in the Army. Kevin and Bethany have been married for a year.

Upon graduation Kevin was commissioned as a Second Lt. in the Infantry. Kevin spent a year in training and was stationed in Ft. Drum New York where he was an Infantry Platoon Leader. Kevin had been in the Army almost three years and was hoping for a promotion to Captain. He was promoted to Captain posthumously, along with being awarded the Bronze Star.

Kevin and his men were great supporters of the "T-Shirts for Troops". Our favorite photos, are the ones below, of Capt. Landeck and his men, "Ruck, Arnie and Fast Eddie" showing off their NJ FMBA T-shirts. Capt. Landeck's pictures were published in the NJ First Responder and the November 2006 FBMA Bulletin. We were thrilled to get the pictures Kevin continued to send of his mission in Iraq.

Kevin sent the picture above and commented he liked the "tough guy look" on the little boys face. It relates to a previous email in which said:

Just to let you know
I was one of those little terrors when i was in school,
nothing to crazy but i had my days of staying after school,
especially in second grade!
My second grade teacher has one of my neighbors
in her class and they will be writing letters to me here soon too!
Kinda weird,
I never thought I would hear from my second grade teacher again
but it is very nice!

Kevin also had a special respect for Firefighters and he stated that in an email he sent after he and his Troops received the NJ FBMA T-shirts.

I got your package with the T-shirts, let me say thanks
for your guys support and second,
the shirts were awesome!
If you can send more
I have some guys who would love some.

Keep in touch and stay safe on your end.
What you and your guys do on your end is awesome
and there was a time I wanted to be a firefighter.
So tell your guys thanks too!

Our thoughts are with Capt. Landeck's wife Bethany, his parents and his sister. Ours thoughts are also with his men in Iraq.

A Death in the Family

It is with great sadness that "T-Shirts for Troops" learned of the death of Lt. Kevin Landeck of the 10th Mountain Division. Lt. Landeck was a great supporter of the program and sent us pictures of he and his troops proudly wearing their NJ FMBA T-shirts. Kevin is in the back row on the right. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Kevin and his family.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Soldiers in the 10th Mountain Division
stationed in Iraq
show off their
"NJ FBMA Support the Troops" T-shirts.
Due to the generosity of NJ Firefighters,
500 shirts were distributed to the 10th Mountain Division.

In Country

Lt. Kevin Landeck,and his men
Ruck, Arny & Fast Eddy
members of the
10th Mountain Division, stationed in Lutafiyah, Iraq
wearing the T-shirts
"New Jersey FMBA Supports Operation Iraqi Freedom"

Thanks From the Troops

Look at what your support did!
Due to the generous support of the New Jersey FMBA and Bill Lavin over 1,000 troops in Iraq have received T-shirts.

Below see Lt. Kevin Landeck of the 10th Mountain Division and his men proudly wearing their "NJ FBMA Supports Operation Iraqi Freedom" shirts. Lt. Landeck and his men are currently stationed in Lutafiyah, Iraq.

Lt. Landeck’s wrote in his email:

I got your package with the t-shirts, let me say thanks
for your guys support and second,
the shirts were awesome!
If you can send more
I have some more guys who would love some.

Keep in touch and stay safe on your end.
What you and your guys do on your end is awesome
and there was a time I wanted to be a firefighter.
So tell your guys thanks too!

The 500 T-shirts that were sent to Lt. Landeck and his men of the 10th Mountain Division was made possible by a generous donation of the NJ FMBA membership during the Atlantic City Convention in September.

To date over 1,000 soldiers are wearing New Jersey FMBA shirts. In the near future, we hope to match that number of shirts that will be sent to the Troops. This will bring the total number of “T-Shirts for Troops” to over 3,000.