Afghanistan body count hits home for Painesville family - 19 Action News|Cleveland, OH|News, Weather, Sports

Afghanistan body count hits home for Painesville family

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PAINESVILLE, OH (WOIO) -

A soldier and a United States contractor were killed when a firefight broke out Saturday in eastern Afghanistan, bringing the U.S. death toll there to 2,000 in 11 years.

Many people may be numb to that milestone, but not Shiela and Dennis Nowacki of Painesville. Their son, U.S. Marine Cpl. Andy Nowacki, died in Iraq on Feb. 26, 2005 while protecting a convoy south of Baghdad, Iraq.  He also had been a police officer in Grand River.

To honor his life, Andy's parents started the Andy Nowacki Foundation, a nonprofit corporation providing scholarships for students who will serve the public.  The foundation has a fundraiser, Jersey Dreaming!, on Oct. 6 at the Mentor Schools Fine Arts Center.

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