It is with humbleness and honor that the Joshua Chamberlain Society adopted our first killed-in-action JCS Hero, Sgt. Denis Kisseloff, United States Army (Missouri National Guard). Sgt. Kisseloff was killed-in-action on May 14, 2010, leaving behind his two beautiful children, Serena and Aleksander.
A native of St. Charles Missouri, Sgt. Kisseloff joined the Marine Corps in 1981 and remained in the Corps through 1988. After the sad death of his wife, Sgt. Kisseloff believed that rejoining the military was the best way to provide for his family. And so, nineteen years after leaving the Marine Corps, Sgt. Kisseloff joined the National Guard in 2007.
Denis became an engineer with the National Guard, also known as a SAPPER, the same assignment undertaken by our very first JCS Hero, SSgt. Joshua Eckhoff. Initially, Sgt. Kissleoff was assigned to the 1138th Engineer Company, out of Farmington, Missouri; then to.Headquarters Company, 203rd Engineers Battalion, in Joplin, Missouri, and finally he was assigned to the 1141st Engineer Company, Missouri National Guard, from Kansas City, Missouri.
On May 14, 2010, Sgt. Kisseloff was undertaking the dangerous duty of a SAPPER, performing a route clearance mission to remove explosive devices and save lives. On this mission, Sgt. Kisseloff’s unit was attacked by insurgents using rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire. In the ensuing firefight, Sgt. Kisseloff lost his life in service to our nation. It was said best by the reverend presiding over his funeral: “He gave his life for our nation because he believed in this nation and he believed in the people of America.”
Denis was a doting father who lived simply and doled out “big bear hugs” according to his sister, Marie Fe Ariss. His children, Serena and Aleks, remember a fun-loving dad who was always supportive and had a smile on his face. He has been greatly missed, but the JCS family hopes that it can offer some amount of comfort while Serena and Aleks learn to live with bear-sized holes in their hearts.
