Greenville grad, explosive ordnance disposal tech hit by IED in Syria

UPDATE @ 9:55 p.m. (Nov. 17)

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy is at a hospital in San Antonio, Texas, after he was struck by an improvised explosive device while clearing a hospital in Syria.

The 2002 Greenville High School graduate and father of four is an explosive ordnance technician. He was severely injured while assigned to the Operation Inherent Resolve campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The Navy said they are working to provide further details about how he was injured.

Most of Stacy’s family is in Texas with him, including his wife, Lindsey, who also is a Greenville grad. His mother-in-law works for Greenville schools, but the district said she is with her family in Texas.

FIRST REPORT

A 2002 Greenville High School graduate earlier this month was severely wounded in action in the Middle East.

U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer Kenton Stacy was injured by an improvised explosive device, reportedly while clearing a hospital in Syria.

The explosive ordnance disposal technician is part of Operation Inherent Resolve and is back in the United States receiving treatment.

Stacy and his wife, Lindsey, also a Greenville grad, are parents to four children. They live in San Diego, Calif., where Stacy is stationed, our media partner the Early Bird Paper reported.

In October 2010, Stacy represented his branch of the military when he was presented with a USO Servicemember of the Year during a USO gala. At the time of his award, he had participated in more than 50 combat missions while deployed in Afghanistan. He destroyed IEDs, trained Afghan forces and U.S. Special Forces on route-clearing techniques.

Operation Inherent Resolve has suffered 44 deaths, of which 30 were killed in action; and 239 service members were wounded in action, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. It is not clear whether the statistics include Stacy.