Rest in peace to the fallen and my heart goes out to the friends and family of both men. Very tragic that these guys were going home when this happened. Michael was on his way to getting married this Valentines day.
A VBIED is what killed the two men, and no word on the condition of everyone else that was wounded. –Matt
Two Killed in Kabul, Afghanistan
February 10, 2014
On February 10, 2014, two DynCorp International personnel working on the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan (CSTC-A) program were tragically killed in an explosion near Kabul, Afghanistan.
Paul Goins, 62, of Crosby, Texas, joined DI in February 2013. A veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, Mr. Goins had more than 35 years of experience in the correctional and compliance fields, working with the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and in the private sector. His professional contributions were made at home in the United States, and abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he worked to share his knowledge with developing countries.
Michael Hughes, 38, of Washington, Montana and Nevada, joined the DI team in Afghanistan in November 2010. Having worked for several years with the Department of Corrections in Washington State, Mr. Hughes’ areas of expertise included training, emergency management, incident command, as well as hostage and crisis negotiations.
DynCorp International chairman and chief executive officer Steve Gaffney commented, “The world lost two heroes in this attack. They volunteered to travel to places they had never been, to help people they had never met. I ask that you please keep them, along with their families, loved ones, and colleagues who continue to support the mission, in your thoughts and prayers.”
Under the CSTC-A contract with the U.S. Army, the Company provides mentoring, training, subject matter expertise and program support to CSTC-A staff and the Afghanistan Ministry of Defense (MOD). The program supports development of organizational capacity to assist the Afghanistan MOD and Afghan National Army forces in assuming full responsibility for their own security needs.
DynCorp International is a leading global services provider offering unique, tailored solutions for an ever-changing world. Built on more than six decades of experience as a trusted partner to commercial, government and military customers, DI provides sophisticated aviation, logistics, training, intelligence and operational solutions wherever we are needed.
Press release here.——————————————————–
Western Washington man killed in suicide car bomb in Afghanistan
By HEATHER GRAF
February 11, 2014
Family members say Winlock native Michael Hughes was one of two civilian contractors killed in a suicide car bomb on Monday in Afghanistan. It happened on the night before he was set to fly home.
The 38-year-old went to work in Kabul, Afghanistan back in 2010. He is a former corrections officer at McNeil Island and was hired to train Afghans to run and reform their own prisons.
“At first it was going to be for a year, and we’re like okay, let’s get through the year, and then he went back again and again,” said his sister, Kathleen Alexander. “He felt like his work was very worthwhile and very important.”
Family members say Hughes really believed in what he was doing.
“It was his biggest success, he told me he never felt like anything was more important than what he was doing over there,” said Kristine Zitny, another of Hughes’ sisters.
The women were emotional as they spoke to KING 5 from Zitny’s home in Tumwater. They say this is something they’d always feared would happen, with their brother working in Afghanistan.
Making their loss even more difficult is the timing of his death.
“He was supposed to get on a plane that night,” said Zitny. “He was going to be getting married.”
Hughes was set to marry his fiance on Valentine’s Day weekend in Las Vegas, where his fiance currently lives and Hughes planned to move once his work in Afghanistan was finished.
“It’s like he was so close to his dream and it was just taken,” said Zitny.
Their only comfort, right now, are the happy memories they shared with their brother. The sisters recalled how he decided to run for mayor of his small hometown of Winlock when he was a senior in high school, because he wasn’t happy with the current city leadership.
They laughed when remembering the station wagon he bought for $75.
In those memories, the family says his spirit will be kept alive. They hope his passion for his work will be kept alive by those who survived Monday’s attack.
“He was taken too young, and I just hope his work can be carried on, with the people he leaves behind,” said Alexander. “I think he originally went over there as an adventure, but when he got there, he fell in love with the Afghanistan people, and he really wanted to change the world, and I really felt like he thought he could.”
Funeral arrangements have not yet been set, but the family says Hughes will be buried in Winlock. They also say he was one of two civilian contractors killed during Monday’s suicide car bomb in Kabul.
Story here.
It has been nearly a year since my wonderful brother was taken from our lives. Each milestone that passes in life he will never be a part of again. Sadly the group responsible for my brother’s death did not even know him, yet judged him and took his life. We as humans choose to kill and think we can hate a person we have never met. In heaven do people that believe in God think that there will actually be an America or an Afghanistan? Do people that cross the finish life into God’s kingdom think that He will only love those from one Country? Or one Race? Or one Religion? This thinking is so narrow minded, God is so much bigger than that and if you truly believe in God, realize he loves your personal enemies as much as He loves you. It is human beings that limit what love is or who can and should be loved, Not God. Earth is much like one big family, and those of us who came from big families realize that parents love each of their children the same and unconditionally, despite their individual differences…So does God. I cannot write this message with the hate I want to feel, because it is not a part of God’s unconditional love He expects us to achieve, something nearly impossible to do when we see ourselves as self-important and somehow better than others. World peace will never happen until we can look beyond ourselves and see a bigger picture.
My brother was a very intelligent person, who would have been loved and respected by the terrorists that took his life had they known him on a personal level. The people who chose to use religious based hate to solve an issue, obviously could not see that God is color blind, and if when we enter the Kingdom of Heaven we will only see what was in a person’s soul, not the country or religion they were affiliated with. The angels that are with my brother now and the ones that will cross the finish line in the days, months, and years to come will see a soul shining in Heaven that would be considered honorable across the world. The continents of this world could never define my brother, and this will be evident to anyone who makes it to Heaven, because good is good and cannot be defined by a single man or a small group of people angry at the values and ranks they hold in this world.
My prayers go out to all people across all nations that have lost loved ones in an untimely way through violence. People of all nations love their children with God’s love, grieve the same, and share the same losses when loved ones are taken. We as humans have the ability to try and love each other in a peaceful way, so that our children and their children will have a world to live in that is safe and human, or we can choose hate, which no matter what affiliation you belong to at the moment, will bring sorrow that will ultimately affect every child worldwide, every family, every parent.
It is time for our people, to rise above and as a world stop war, and violence. Every parent worldwide, dreams of the babies they have had living long loving lives. Nobody in any country want to think about their loved ones being taken early by misunderstood values, or values different than their own. Quit! Today it is time to stop and make tomorrow better. In the name of every person worldwide that has had a life stolen from them.
Comment by Kristineanne — Wednesday, January 7, 2015 @ 9:20 PM
My heart goes out to you and your family as all of you try to heal from such a tragic loss.
Comment by Matt — Thursday, February 5, 2015 @ 11:05 AM
With three years approaching from the most devastating day of my life, I once again pray for some semblance of healing. Mike is in my thoughts every day. I try to focus on the happy memories of our lives but grief always appears. The loss will always rule, but I am thankful for the love and support of two of my children and my extended family.
Comment by Linda Mundale — Wednesday, February 8, 2017 @ 9:24 AM
Linda, I pray for you and your family.
Comment by Matt — Wednesday, February 8, 2017 @ 10:55 AM