Army Capt. Kurth was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, based in Schweinfurt, Germany. Kurth was killed when his patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device in Tikrit. John was a standout athlete at Columbus High School where he excelled in everything he tackled. He was a defensive lineman on the 1990 state championship football team, wrestling team, prom king, newspaper editor in chief and an award-winning academic. He went to West Point and graduated with the class of 1995. John had served in Kosovo twice but this was his first duty in Iraq. He was looking forward to serving in Iraq because he hoped to make a difference. During his last trip to Wisconsin, over Christmas, John told family that he was thinking of returning to West Point someday to teach. He leaves behind a 5-year-old son.
Army Capt. Kurth was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, based in Schweinfurt, Germany. Kurth was killed when his patrol was hit by an improvised explosive device in Tikrit. John was a standout athlete at Columbus High School where he excelled in everything he tackled. He was a defensive lineman on the 1990 state championship football team, wrestling team, prom king, newspaper editor in chief and an award-winning academic. He went to West Point and graduated with the class of 1995. John had served in Kosovo twice but this was his first duty in Iraq. He was looking forward to serving in Iraq because he hoped to make a difference. During his last trip to Wisconsin, over Christmas, John told family that he was thinking of returning to West Point someday to teach. He leaves behind a 5-year-old son.
