Serving with valor
Local soldier to be honored on SundayBy FRANK JOST Interim managing editor fjost@lewistownsentinel.com
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REEDSVILLE - An Indian Valley High School graduate who went on to serve as a full-time soldier in the Army recently was honored for his courage and skill in combat while serving overseas in Iraq.
That same soldier will receive further recognition for his actions on the battlefield when he appears on national television this coming Sunday.
Staff Sgt. Andrew Costanzo, a 1999 graduate of IVHS, returned from his second tour in Iraq in June. As a result of his service overseas, he received two Bronze Stars, one with Valor, according to documents provided by his parents, Dave and Kay Semler of Reedsville.
Costanzo, who serves as a recon team leader and platoon sergeant with the 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment based in Ft. Lewis, Wash., also has been chosen to participate in the Seattle Seahawks pregame show on Sunday.
According to the documents, Costanzo's second tour of duty in Iraq began in April 2007. While performing missions in Baghdad, he and his squad came under fire on a bridge in East Rashid and successfully eliminated two insurgents.
During another operation in Baghdad with a squad of Iraqi Police, an explosive device was detonated against Costanzo and his men. The sergeant personally ran out onto the street to rescue an Iraqi policeman who was injured, the documents state.
The unit later moved to Baqubah - about 40 miles north of Baghdad in the Diyala Province - and Costanzo's missions resulted in multiple captures of insurgents, kidnappers, suicide bombers and the arrest of corrupt Concerned Local Citizen leaders. For these actions and outstanding performance, he was awarded the Bronze Star.
A Bronze Star with Valor also was awarded for hand to hand combat when Costanzo jumped on one of two fleeing insurgents after a mile-long foot chase. The other insurgent also was detained and both proved to be valuable captures, the documents indicate.
On Sunday, Costanzo will be honored for valor at the opening of the Seattle Seahawks game. The game will be aired on Fox and Direct TV at 4:05 pm against the Arizona Cardinals.
Costanzo resides in Tacoma, Wash., with his wife Nicola (Shunk), of Weisbaden, Germany.
