Randy Stabnik
Cause of Death: AIT death
Died of Pneumococcal Meningitis
“That soldier, Pvt. 2nd Class Randy L. Stabnik of South Bend, Ind., died Tuesday of complications from a strep pneumonia infection leading to a non-contagious complication of meningitis at St. John’s Hospital in Springfield. Stabnik and another soldier from Company A of the 554th Engineers both died in what Lt. Col. John Lowery, the post hospital’s medical director, called a case of “lightning striking twice.” – Article 1
“Mr. Speaker, for much of the history of war, the number of soldiers struck down on the battlefield has been dwarfed by those killed by illness and disease. Thankfully, modern medicine has made the scourge of disease far more remote for our soldiers today, which makes the death of Private Randy Stabnik, also of the Indiana Army National Guard, all the more painful. On February 17, Private Stabnik died from pneumococcal meningitis, a rare and unexpected death. After Randy had joined the National Guard, his family could see how much he was growing to love his service.” – CR