Cascade native killed in Afghanistan

A U.S. Army sergeant and Cascade native was killed July 13 after his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Michael E. Ristau, 26, of Rockford, Ill., died in Qalat in the Zabul province from wounds he received in the enemy attack, according to a release on the Department of Defense website.

Ristau's family issued the following statement Sunday afternoon: “Sergeant Michael Ristau, husband, father, son, brother, died serving the country that he loved. He will live on forever in our memories. Though his time on earth was short, his impact was huge. We have lost our Michael, but we are still so proud of him and his choice to serve our nation. He had a tremendous love for life and was passionate about bull riding. He leaves behind a wife, two sons and many family and friends. We want to thank all of our friends, family, community and the nation for their prayers and support during this time of great loss.”

Ristau was assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash, the agency said. He was in Afghanistan as part of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Ristau joined the Army in July 2004 and had been at Lewis-McChord since he completed his training. The Army says he deployed to Afghanistan with his brigade in December 2011. It previously served in Iraq from June 2006 through August 2007.

Ristau graduated from Lincoln's Challenge Academy in Waveland, Miss., in 2004 and enlisted in the Army about a month later. He was married to Elizabeth Ristau and they have one son, Hyle Lee Ristau, who was born at Tacoma on Nov. 28, 2011, just days before he deployed to Afghanistan.