Kuglics, 25, an Air Force staff sergeant and OSI agent from the Canton area in northeast Ohio, was killed by the explosion of a roadside bomb near his military convoy June 5, 2007, during the second deployment he had volunteered for in Iraq.
“One of my biggest fears since June 5, 2007 is, I don’t want people to forget him, to forget what he did for this country,” his father, Les Kuglics, told reporters Friday.
The Air Force surprised the Kuglics family by naming a street in honor of Matthew and his ultimate sacrifice. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, where he had been stationed from 2004 until 2006, converted the former Communications Boulevard into Kuglics Boulevard during a formal ceremony Friday.
The photograph of fallen airman Kuglics carried the words “No worries, no regrets.”
“That was the rule he lived by,” said Les Kuglics. “He would always say, 'No worries, no regrets. There’s always tomorrow.’ ”
More than 100 people, including Kuglics’ parents and sister, friends, Air Force officials and airmen who had worked with him gathered at Wright-Patterson and crowded under a tent in the rain for the renaming of the street, a few yards away.
Les Kuglics pulled a cloth cover off one of the Kuglics Blvd. signs as two other groups did the same at other signs nearby.
“We’re here today to honor a hero,” said Brig. Gen. Dana Simmons, the Air Force OSI commander. “He believed in what he was doing in Iraq. He believed in it so much, that he did it twice.”
Killed with Kuglics by the explosion in Iraq was fellow OSI agent Ryan Balmer, an Air Force technical sergeant. Hill Air Force Base, Utah, where Balmer had served, has renamed a street in Balmer’s honor. Balmer’s mother, Pat, was at Wright-Patterson on Friday to support the Kuglics family.
“If somebody needs support, I’ll be there,” Pat Balmer said.
Les Kuglics recalled his last telephone conversation with Matthew, two days before his death. Matthew mentioned that he was halfway through his six-month deployment to Iraq.
“He said, 'Yeah, Dad, 90 days down, 90 to go,’” Les Kuglics recalled. “I said, 'Be careful. I love you. We’ll talk again soon.’ ”
Emily Kuglics, 20, said she hopes the renamed street will prompt people to reflect on the price of freedom, even if they never knew her brother.
“So often, we take our freedom for granted,” Emily Kuglics said. “I hope people driving down Kuglics Boulevard take a second, or two seconds, out of their day to think that there are men and women fighting for their freedom.”
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2242 or jnolan@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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