Memorial Award Created In Honor Of Fallen Bergen Soldier

WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, NJ – An award has been created to honor the memory of a U.S. special forces soldier from Bergen County who was killed last year in Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep Josh Gottheimer unveiled the Fifth District Sergeant First Class Michael Goble Memorial Award, a recognition to honor North Jersey’s “unsung heroes committed to supporting military families and veterans.”

See More: Soldier From Washington Township Killed In Afghanistan

Goble, 33, and his unit were clearing out a Taliban weapons cache in the Kunduz Province on Dec. 23 when he was fatally injured in an explosion.

The 2004 Westwood High School graduate died just three weeks before he was due to finish his final tour of duty in Afghanistan. Goble was laid to rest on Jan. 9 at Arlington National Cemetery.

Gottheimer announced the new award – along with his goal of boosting support for military families and their loved ones – alongside Jen Albuquerque, Goble’s girlfriend. On Tuesday evening, Albuquerque attended the State of the Union address as Gottheimer’s guest.

“Mike was just like many of us, with hopes and dreams. He lived his life filled with friends, family, hobbies, and lots of activities. But Mike was also different. Mike was a Green Beret, one of America’s finest warriors. Mike loved his job and he loved his country. He was a true patriot,” Albuquerque said. “He died while fighting our nation’s enemies. He died while making the world a better place for all of us and for all our children.”

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“It is our duty as Americans not only to honor these men and women, but to do everything we can to fight for their surviving loved ones, to ensure they have the care they need, and the support we all owe them,” Gottheimer said. “Together, by taking care of our military families, surviving loved ones, and veterans in North Jersey, continuing to work across the aisle, and fighting for change here in Congress, we can live up to our nation’s commitment to those who gave the last full measure of devotion.”

Goble joined the Army in July 2004 and graduated from the Special Forces Qualification Course as a Green Beret in 2007. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airbone), which is based out of Elgin Air Force Base in Florida. Goble's military career includes the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal and Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.

Read More: Bergen Soldier Buried At Arlington National Cemetery

A GoFundMe campaign has raised more than $161,000 for his family, which the fundraiser's organizer said "is a true testament of the kind of man we all knew Mike to be. All money will go to Albuquerque, and the couple's 6-year-old daughter, Zoey, organizers said.

On Tuesday, Gottheimer outlined his plans to increase support for military families, which includes:

• Cosponsoring and lead a bipartisan letter calling on House leadership to bring up the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation Improvement Act for an immediate vote. This bipartisan legislation increases the benefits of Gold Star families after tragically losing a loved one
• The creation of the Fifth District Sergeant First Class Michael Goble Memorial Award to honor the unsung efforts of residents in North Jersey committed to caring for military families and families.
• Cosponsoring the BRAVE Act -- a bipartisan bill to increase investment from the VA for burial and funeral expenses of veterans and expenses from a veteran’s death due to a service-connected disability.
• Cosponsoring the Honoring Veterans Families Act -- bipartisan legislation to authorize the Secretary of the VA to provide inscriptions for spouses and children on headstones and markers of the fallen.
• Cosponsoring and helping pass the Military Surviving Spouses Equity Act which eliminates the "widows tax," a deduction in benefits that is placed on surviving spouses of service members when their spouse passed away during active duty.

According to Gottheimer's office, in December, the House passed the Gold Star Family Tax Relief Act, so military survivor benefits received by children as earned income are tax exempt.

The House also passed the Fallen Heroes Family Travel Act, for the Secretary of Defense to provide family members of the Armed Forces who die outside of the United States with travel to Dover Air Force Base. The House also passed the Shauna Hill Post 9/11 Education Benefits Transferability Act.