Oldest coalition soldier to die in Afghanistan was 59

Army 1st Sgt. Jose San Nicolas Crisostomo, a leader among the South Sound's Chamorro community, became the oldest coalition soldier killed in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy Tuesday in Kabul.

Crisostomo, of Spanaway, would have turned 60 on Aug. 29.

Crisostomo joined the Army in May 1969 and served for 24 years, including a tour in Vietnam, his family told the Pacific Daily News of Guam. He rejoined the Army in April 2008 and deployed to Kabul in June 2008. It's unclear with which unit he served — the Department of Defense has not yet confirmed the death.

Crisostomo is survived by his wife, Patricia, three children and 10 grandchildren. One daughter died in 2004.

KOMO-TV reported that his wife was at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Thursday for the return of his body to the United States.

Those who knew Crisostomo, whose nickname was Sinbad, say he was a friendly, outgoing person who always was willing to help someone in need.

A native of Inarajan, Guam, he settled in the South Sound when he retired from the Army in 1993. And in 1999, he helped found Grupun Minagof, a group of Chamorro Americans who organize fiestas and other happenings in the local community. The group also raises money to help when someone in the local community loses a family member and provides scholarships for Chamorro youth.

Julian Mendiola, another veteran, is also part of Grupun Minagof. He first met the burly Crisostomo when the two were stationed in Germany in 1985. They lived four hours apart but knew each other because of their ties to Guam.

Mendiola, 61, remembers visiting Crisostomo for a day, returning home, and only then realizing he'd left his work keys behind.

Crisostomo drove four hours in snowy weather just to drop off the keys, Mendiola said.

That level of selflessness was typical for Crisostomo.

"He was willing to help anyone out," said Norman Ruediger, his neighbor.

Ruediger recalled how Crisostomo helped him during a recent December snowstorm.

Crisostomo — a handyman who could do everything from electricity to plumbing to building you a patio — visited his neighbor, whose water heater was leaking.

Despite icy driving conditions, they piled into Crisostomo's van, drove to Home Depot, picked up a heater and installed it the same day.

And Crisostomo never asked for anything in return.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.