APWU Member Killed in Combat in Iraq

An APWU member on his second tour of duty in Iraq was killed during combat operations in Anbar Province on May 5. Master Sergeant Kenneth (Kenny) Mack was 42.

Like his late father, Tom Mack, Kenny Mack was an automotive technician at the Fort Worth Vehicle Maintenance Facility. He had joined the Marines not long after graduating from high school in 1984. He began working for the Postal Service in 1988.

Mr. Mack had been deployed to Iraq two months ago. “He didn’t mind one bit,” said his brother, Robert. “He wanted to go. He loved being in the military. He felt like it was his duty to go back.”

In a column for the Des Moines Register on May 11, a reporter recalled spending several hours with Mr. Mack on a nerve-wracking convoy-protection mission in September 2005. “I went away knowing that I’d met a fine leader and that no soldier or Marine could do more to make his people safe,” wrote John Carlson. “It was more than being tough. Mack was serious and absolutely professional, the kind of guy you would want taking care of your kid in a combat zone.”

It was a similar story back home in north Texas. “He was all about family,” Peggy, his wife of 16 years, told a Dallas TV station. “He made sure we did things together. ... It was always a goal in his life to be a mentor in some way, not only to his children, and the children in the neighborhood, but all children.”

“Our hearts go out to Kenny Mack’s extended family,” said APWU President William Burrus. “We deeply regret this tragic loss of life.”

In addition to his wife and brother, Mr. Mack’s survivors include a daughter, Shquaydra S. Mack; a son, Nathanial E. Mack; daughters Candace Johnson and Courtney Jones; brother Timothy Mack, and his mother, Mahalia Mack.