Dane Clark Paresi Former Special Forces, Contractor, Killed in CIA suicide bombing

DuPont man among seven killed in Afghan suicide attack

A DuPont resident and former Fort Lewis soldier was one of seven U.S. intelligence agents killed by a suicide bomber who infiltrated a base in Afghanistan last week, his widow said Tuesday.

Dane Clark Paresi, a retired Army master sergeant, died Dec. 30 in the blast at a forward military base in Khost province, on the restive Afghanistan-Pakistan border. Paresi, 46, retired from 1st Special Forces Group at Fort Lewis in 2008, capping 27 years in the Army, and was working as a contractor alongside CIA employees when he was killed, according to family and friends.

MindyLou Paresi said she was told her husband was at the meeting inside the military compound and suspected something was wrong. When he approached, the informant detonated his explosives. She said her husband was right next to the bomber, the closest person to the blast.

“He saved many people, unfortunately seven of them did die,” she said, noting that others were wounded. “It could have been worse.”

She credited her husband’s employer, Xe Services (formerly Blackwater), for keeping her informed and taking care of the family’s emotional, financial and other needs over the last several days.