Family, doctors mystified by Kenwood soldier's death

Dustin Mark Tucker regaled his family with tales of Iraq at his welcome home dinner last week, chuckling about the close call he had with an IED on his birthday.

After months of combat, danger must have seemed remote at that gathering in Kenwood.

But five days later, Tucker was dead, leaving family, friends and the medical community searching for answers.

"He has no family history or personal history of any kind of medical issues," said his mother, Cindy Tucker. "He didn't complain of not feeling well . . . He was happy. He was busy. He was excited for his vacation. He was on top of the world."

Tucker, 22, was home for an 18-day leave, his first since his March deployment as a gunner with the Army's 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Infantry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.

He was thrilled to be home, where his family had planned plenty of free time for golf, fishing and other activities.

He was fatigued and jet-lagged after days of traveling from Baghdad to Kuwait, then Ireland, Atlanta and Los Angeles before finally flying into San Francisco and the embrace of his family. Despite the lengthy trip, he seemed ready for some fun, they said.

Since arriving home Aug. 25, he had visited family and friends, played golf, bought a motorcycle and was looking forward to a family fishing trip at Clear Lake this week.

He complained of no pain, discomfort or illness, but did mention being tired Aug. 27 when he decided to hang out with his two brothers rather than go out with friends, Cindy Tucker said.

The three had stayed up late watching movies, so the next morning, brothers Ross, 18, and Garrett, 25, were glad to let Dustin continue sleeping while they went off to play golf.

His mother was already gone, having kissed him good-bye when she left for her job in the occupational medicine department at Kaiser Permanente.

His father, Mark, also let Dustin sleep, throwing a blanket over him before running some errands.

His brothers returned from their golf game about 4:30 p.m. and found Dustin unconscious and not breathing. He was still lying on the couch where he'd spent the night.

Garrett, a former Kenwood firefighter, began CPR while paramedics from the Kenwood Fire Department were called.

Dustin was taken to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital, where doctors said he had no brain function, Cindy Tucker said. His kidneys and liver failed. He never regained consciousness, and was pronounced dead on Saturday.

An autopsy Tuesday proved inconclusive, though the hospital and Sonoma County Coroner's Office are conducting additional tests, family and authorities said.

Cindy Tucker said one of the Army officers who called from Baghdad also talked about examining the living space and food and water supplies in search of clues to Dustin's death.

"At this point, we have absolutely no idea," she said.

Born in Redwood City and raised in Kenwood, the 2004 Maria Carrillo High School graduate attended Santa Rosa Junior College for a time, but was unsure about what to do with his life.

A natural athlete who played soccer, baseball and lacrosse, he was big and strong, but also soulful and full of humor, with too many interests to choose from, they said.

He was, his mom said, "the left-hand thinker among all the right-hand thinkers in the family," a witty young man who "always thought outside the box," who loved adventure but also was known as serene and peaceful.

He was the brother who climbed trees and hunted salamanders while the others played video games. He was the one who always had female friends. He was the one who decided to join the Army last year when a friend re-enlisted, even though his parents tried at first to talk him out of it.

He'd joined in search of adventure, and they tried to persuade him to consider the Navy or Air Force in hopes he might face less danger.

He expected to be sent home from Iraq in June and to complete his service obligation the following January.

Family friend and one-time teacher, Carolee Fagent, of Kenwood School, remembers Tucker as a fun, but extremely peaceful person.

"Just really loved by all of his teachers and the community," Fagent said. "We just all really respected and appreciated Dustin."

Calls to his family from his fellow soldiers and superiors in Iraq this week show that his reputation for calm strength carried into the theater of war, where he was a natural leader, his parents said.

They said his platoon leader told them, "He was always calm, which carried the rest of his troop through very tough times."

Even on his first night at home, he expressed concern about his buddies in Iraq, his mother said.

"He talked about how much he was worried about the rest of his platoon when he was gone because they all rely on each other so much to stay safe," she said.

Tucker's closest Army friend already has been put on a plane to get him to Santa Rosa in time for his service Saturday, his parents said. And superiors in Iraq have asked for family photos to use for a separate service there.

In addition to his parents and brothers, Tucker is survived by a grandmother, AnnaBelle Caltagirone of Kenwood; uncles Gary Caltagirone of San Jose, Paul Caltagirone of Frankfurt, Germany, and Jeffrey Tucker, of San Carlos; aunt Bobby Jo Viksne of San Mateo; three cousins and numerous great aunts and uncles.

A memorial is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Building, 1351 Maple Ave. in Santa Rosa.

In lieu of flowers, Tucker's family requests that donations be made to charity.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.callahan@pressdemocrat.com.