Age: 39

Hometown: Houston, TX

Corps Outfit: Squadron 1

Military Unit: Joint Staff, Pentagon

An Air Force officer with Houston ties who led a reconstruction team in Afghanistan died May 26th of wounds he sustained from the explosion of an improvised explosive device.

Lt. Col. Mark E. Stratton II, 39, was assigned to the Joint Staff at the Pentagon in Washington as an executive assistant for the deputy director for politico-military affairs for Asia.

Stratton graduated from Foley High School in Foley, Ala, and from Texas A&M University in December 1991 with a degree in Political Science. While at Texas A&M, he was a member of Squadron 1 in the Corps of Cadets.

Stratton died Tuesday near Bagram Air Field, Afghanistan, of wounds he sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated, according to Pentagon officials. Stratton had deployed to Afghanistan in November as commander of the Panjshir Provincial Reconstruction Team, said Air Force Capt. Tom Wenz. The team worked on civil affairs initiatives with the Afghan population, including a $28 million road construction project.

As commander, Stratton would have interacted closely with local leaders and village elders, Wenz said. Stratton was a superb but humble leader, said his friend, Lt. Col. Clark Risner. "He wouldn't have wanted any media spotlight on him," Risner said. "He would want it on his team."

"It sounds clich but Mark was the most patriotic person I've ever met, just a model airman in every way," he said. "He put the airmen that he was supervising or leading first, every step of the way."

Risner met Stratton five years ago when both men were students at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Va., and later served with him at the Pentagon. After Stratton deployed to Afghanistan, he emailed Risner about his pride in his team's efforts to help Afghanis rebuild their country. "He told me that was the best job he's ever had. He felt like he was making a difference in people's lives on a daily basis," Risner said. "The work that they're doing there is nothing short of heroic, and it's truly tragic that his efforts would end this way."

A senior navigator for the RC-135 Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft, Stratton had previously served on the staff at U.S. Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base, Neb. He had received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1992, a year after his graduation from Texas A&M University. His commendations include a Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

"He's a wonderful person, just a fine man as could be," said Stratton's grandmother, Dolly Little, in a telephone interview from Foley, Ala., where Stratton spent much of his childhood. "He loved his service."

Stratton was very close to his late father and namesake, Mark Stratton, an Army captain and Vietnam veteran, said his stepmother Debby Young, who lives in southwest Houston. Stratton's brother, Michael, and stepbrother, Steven, also live in the Houston area. His wife, Jennifer, and their three children live near Washington, D.C. Young said Stratton's family is devastated. "We're pretty much basket cases," she said. "You always know this is a possibility, but you always think it's going to happen to somebody else, not to you." She takes solace in her memory of Stratton's passion for his work in Afghanistan. "This is what he wanted to do," Young said. "He wanted to make a difference. And he did."

Just a few weeks prior to his death, Stratton made a special effort to share his Aggie Spirit and observe Aggie Muster. In an email to Texas Aggie magazine he indicated that although he was the only Aggie within 100 miles of his forward operating base, he convinced the Panjshir Provincial Governor and his security detail to join him atop a nearby mountain to mark the occasion.

Lt. Col. Stratton will be laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery June 9, 2009 at 11:00am. Those wishing to pay their respects are asked to arrive by 10:30am. Please visit the Arlington National Cemetery website, www.arlingtoncemetery.org for service location.

Source: The Houston Chronicle and The Association of Former Students

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