By Maggie Downs
Enquirer staff writer

Army Sgt. Charles Kiser

AMELIA - Army Sgt. Charles Kiser knew the dangers of going to Iraq, but he was proud to serve his country.

The 37-year-old, known as "Chuck," was deployed in January with the 330th Military Police Division reserve unit from Fort McCoy, Wis.

Around 3 a.m. Cincinnati time Thursday - 11 a.m. Iraq time - Kiser was killed just outside of Mosul. The family was told he was struck by shrapnel from a car bomb that flew through the windshield of his Humvee.

Before he left for Iraq, the family of the Amelia native threw an enormous party, attended by hundreds.

"It was a big sendoff because so many people loved him," Bill Grannen, Kiser's brother-in-law, said of the party at American Legion Post 318 in Anderson Township.

Those who loved Kiser worried about him while overseas. They sent frequent e-mails from back home.

But Kiser never worried.

"He didn't hesitate when his unit was deployed," Grannen said. "He was very proud of defending his country and definitely believed in the mission in Iraq."

Kiser was following in the footsteps of his late father, also named Charles, who was a Korean War veteran in the Navy.

"His father instilled that kind of love of country and commitment in him," Grannen said. "I'm sure they're together now."

The younger Kiser spent seven years in active duty in the Navy, the bulk of it in Italy, where he met his wife, Debbie, also in the Navy. Kiser followed that with seven years in the Naval Reserve.

The couple settled in Cleveland, Wis., Debbie's home state. There Kiser joined the Army Reserve because the base was nearby. Kiser's full-time job was at GKN Sinter Metals in Germantown, Wis.

Family was important to Kiser, who visited Cincinnati frequently, most recently during the Christmas holidays in 2003. He grew up in a home with six women - his mother Glenda, and sisters Chris, Denise, Patty, Teresa and Joy.

"They're the ones that toughened him up," Grannen laughed.

The talented athlete was a sprinter on the University of Cincinnati track team in 1986 when he was a freshman. At UC, he was described as the top recruit in his class by UC track coach Bill Schnier.

"His picture is on the wall in my office," Schnier said Thursday night.

Kiser still holds the UC records for the 300-yard dash indoors (30.91 seconds) and the 300 meters (34.91), the longtime UC track coach said.

"He was one of the most talented sprinters we've had at UC. He could run anything from the 100 to 400 meters," Schnier said.

Kiser was at UC for only one year before leaving school to join the Navy, Schnier said.

He began competing in track in the third grade at St. Bernadette School. As a senior at McNicholas High School, he finished second in the 200-meter run in the state Class AA meet.

Pat Stricker, now the head basketball coach at McNicholas High School, graduated with Kiser there in 1985.

"He wasn't your typical jock. He wasn't very outgoing or cocky."

More recently, Kiser's attention had turned to coaching his children, 13-year-old Ali and 10-year-old Mark, in various sports.

Thursday night, friends and family gathered again, this time at Kiser's mother's home in Amelia. All of his sisters still live in the area.

In recent months, Clermont County has been resilient in the face of bad news from Iraq. Batavia is still hoping for the safe return of local Army reservist Spc. Matt Maupin, 20, who was taken captive by Iraqi insurgents April 9.

For Kiser, meeting the children of Iraq reinforced his belief that the United States had a duty to be there, Grannen said.

"He really felt like he wanted to secure their freedoms so they could live without the fear they lived under during the dictatorship," Grannen said. "He said that if the situation were reversed, he would hope people would come to liberate his children. He believed that in his heart."

William A. Weathers of the Enquirer contributed to this report.

E-mail mdowns@enquirer.com