Connellsville man killed in Iraq
CONNELLSVILLE – A 1999 graduate of Connellsville Area High School who went on to serve his country with the U.S. Marine Corps was killed early Monday in Iraq. Shelby Feniello, 25, of Connellsville, was driving a Humvee on his way to assist other soldiers when he struck a roadside bomb, said Karen Blocker, a family friend.
“A lot of the details are still sketchy,” said Blocker. “He was such a good kid.”
Blocker said that she learned of Feniello’s death Tuesday morning and visited with his mother that afternoon.
“It’s very hard,” said Blocker. “She’s strong one minute and then the tears flow.”
Blocker recalled the last time she saw Feniello and said she found him to be “very proud” to be a U.S. Marine and serving his country.
“I saw him and yelled his name and he came running down the street, picked me up and swung me around,” she said as tears welled in her eyes. “I told him that I missed him.
“He said that he missed being home, but he loved what he was doing.”
When contacted Wednesday, a U.S. Marine Corps public affairs officer declined to confirm Feniello’s death and referred all inquiries to the Department of Defense, who also declined to divulge any information about the incident until family members of those killed in the explosion were contacted.
Blocker, meanwhile, said that it is unclear when his body will be returned stateside.
“From what I understand, it could be several days or a week,” she said.
Feniello’s death is the first military fatality of a Connellsville area resident since 9/11.
“We’ve been very lucky in that respect,” said Staff Sgt. Scot Sage, of South Connellsville. “With all those that have served from here in Iraq, we’ve been very fortunate not to have lost anyone.
“It’s very sad to hear that now one of our own has given the ultimate sacrifice.”
Sage, a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard, Company B, 1st Battalion, 103rd Armor unit based in Connellsville Township, said he did not know Feniello personally, but knew he was serving in the military.
Roadside bombs, said Sage, have caused countless deaths and injuries to soldiers serving in Iraq.
Several soldiers, including Sage, were injured when a roadside bomb struck a vehicle, while the unit was deployed in Iraq in 2005.
Blocker, meanwhile, said she will miss the young boy that she watched grow to be a man and then become a proud Marine.
“He was a very special young man, who loved his family and friends and his country,” she said. “There will be many people who will miss him.”