Marine Staff Sgt. Nicholas A. Sprovtsoff
Died September 28, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom
28, of Davison, Mich., died Sept. 28 in Helmand province, Afghanistan
while conducting combat operations. He was assigned to 1st Marine
Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special
Operations Command, Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Marine was dedicated to serving the military
The Associated Press
DAVISON, Mich. — A Marine from Michigan who was killed during combat
operations in Afghanistan had a dedication to the military that went
back to when he was a high school student, a former coach said.
Staff Sgt. Nicholas Sprovtsoff, 28, of Davison died Sept. 28 in Helmand
province along with Sgt. Christopher Diaz, 27, of Albuquerque, N.M.,
the Defense Department said. He was assigned to the 1st Marine Special
Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations
Command, out of Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Sprovtsoff graduated in
2001 from Davison High School, about 50 miles north of Detroit. His
former high school tennis coach at the school, Walt White told, The
Flint Journal that Sprovtsoff always talked about wanting to be a
Marine.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he died in honor because he was such a wonderful human being,” White said. “He was a great kid.”
Sprovtsoff, a 10-year veteran of the Marines, is survived by his wife,
Tasha, and a daughter, Lanie, who live near where he was stationed, the
military said.
Sprovtsoff, who most recently served as an
explosive ordnance disposal technician, completed his Marine basic
training following his graduation from high school.
His mother, Sandee, told the newspaper in 2003 that she was impressed with her son’s commitment.
“That’s a lot for a 19-year-old,” she said at the time. “He thought he
was doing the right thing and he’s really committed to his nation and
the people who have trained him — we’re behind him 100 percent.”
Sprovtsoff had been deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom.