By C.J. SULLIVAN and ED ROBINSON
Last updated: 10:19 am
June 30, 2008
Posted: 2:51 am
June 30, 2008
A Queens soldier born on the Fourth of July has died serving his country in Afghanistan, the military said.
Sgt. Joseph McKay, 51, of Cambria Heights, was killed Thursday when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb in Logar province in eastern Afghanistan.
Another local soldier, Spc. Mark Palmateer, 38, of Poughkeepsie, was killed in the attack.
McKay "used to laugh and say, 'Everyone celebrates my birthday in this country,' " said Newton Baptiste, his best friend.
But the 30-year veteran of the National Guard struck a serious tone when he spoke to Baptiste for the final time on Wednesday.
"He told me, 'They're sending me into a real terrible area,' " Baptiste said.
McKay's sister-in-law, Diana Coleman, said, "He was one of a kind, a real gentle person. When he was at Fort Hamilton, he would take leftover Army food out to the homeless in Brooklyn."
McKay, an avid biker, leaves behind a wife and three children, military officials said.
He served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005 and was awarded the New York State Defense of Liberty Medal, which was given to Guard members for service in New York City following the 9/11 attacks.
Palmateer, who joined the guard in 2003, is survived by his father and daughter.
