Slain National Guard soldier was active member of Bay State LGBT community

Ciara Durkin, a 30-year-old member of the National Guard from Quincy who was shot in the head and killed at Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan Sept. 28, was an active member of Boston's LGBT community, according to family members and her former employer, Fenway Community Health Center. The circumstances that led to Durkin's death, which has made national headlines, are still unknown, and her brother Pierce Durkin told Bay Windows the family is still awaiting the outcome of the Army investigation into her death. They have also asked the Army for permission to have an independent autopsy done on her body.

Pierce, who is clerk of the Boston Pride board of directors, said his sister was a tireless volunteer over the years on the Pride Committee. In 2005, she was instrumental in helping launch the Jamaica Plain women's block party, which has become a staple of the Pride celebration. He said she also volunteered her time for several summers as his assistant in the run-up to Pride and was willing to do anything to keep the event running smoothly.

"She would do the highest level work or the most menial work at the drop of a hat," said Pierce.
Beyond her willingness to work for her community he said the qualities that most stood out about his sister were her selflessness and her generosity.

"She was 100 percent selfless. She never thought of herself before any other people," he said.
During her service in Afghanistan she saw an American contractor falling headfirst off a ladder, Pierce said, and she broke his fall, likely saving his life. Her brother said in the process she tore several ligaments and tendons in her arm. While still recovering from those injuries Ciara visited her family for two weeks last month while she was on leave. During her visit Pierce moved into a new apartment, and he was hesitant about letting Ciara help him for fear that she would exacerbate her injuries. But he said there was no stopping her.

"I turned around and she brought the mattress up the stairs by herself," said Pierce.

The two siblings were quite close; Pierce recalled that after he ended a long-term relationship, he called Ciara to talk about it. She happened to be at a party just five blocks away, and she immediately left the party and ran down the street to comfort him.

"She literally sprinted from that party to my house to be with me," said Pierce.

During Ciara's visit in September she and Pierce looked at condos together. Pierce said they hoped to buy a condo together when she returned to the Boston area in February.

Pierce also played an active role in the lives of her nieces and nephews, particularly the children of her older sister, Deirdre Durkin, whose husband passed away from cancer several years ago. Pierce said Ciara served as a surrogate "father" to the kids, sending money to the family from Afghanistan so their mother could give them an allowance. When she was home last month Pierce said she mowed the family's lawn and painted the front and back porch.

Beyond that Ciara also played an active role at Fenway Community Health prior to entering the National Guard, serving in the organization's information technology department. Fenway released a statement to Bay Windows saying, "During Ciara's five years at Fenway, she was an important member of our IT and data team. Ciara will be remembered by all who knew her for her laughter, dedication, generous spirit and commitment to family and her beloved pets. She will be greatly missed."

As of now Pierce said the family has very little information about his sister's death, and they have had difficulty getting information about the circumstances of her death. Ciara was serving in Afghanistan as part of a finance unit and was not involved in combat. According to press accounts Ciara was allegedly found shot with one bullet in her head near a church at Bagram Airbase. Her brother said they have been working with the offices of Sens. John Kerry and Ted Kennedy and Rep. William Delahunt to ask the Army for more information about Ciara's death and to push for the chance to do an independent autopsy. He said the family wants to be thorough and to make sure that the investigation is properly handled.

"[Kennedy, Kerry and Delahunt] are definitely assisting us in getting an independent autopsy, and it's something we're doing for prudence's sake to be completely thorough," he said.

A spokesperson for Kennedy sent a statement to Bay Windows from the senator saying, "The Durkin family deserves a quick and thorough response from the United States Army on the tragic death of Specialist Durkin while serving our country in Afghanistan. We owe nothing less than to bring some answers to this family who has sacrificed so much."

The family is particularly concerned because Ciara told them this past summer that she had reason to fear for her safety. "Back in June she did communicate to the family that she had some concerns about her safety and that if anything were to happen we were to investigate it," said Pierce. He declined to say what those concerns were. In an Oct. 3 Boston Globe story Durkin's sister, Fiona Canavan, said one concern the family has is whether Durkin was targeted because she was gay. Speaking to Bay Windows, Pierce said they have not ruled out that possibility, but they have no evidence that she was targeted for being gay or that she was out to anyone in her military life. He said when his sister joined the National Guard she understood that it would require going back into the closet about her sexuality.

"She was very aware of the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policies and she was protecting herself in that light," said Pierce.

Ciara joined the National Guard in 2005, completed her training in 2006 and was deployed to Afghanistan shortly thereafter.

Pierce said that when Ciara was home in September she was in good spirits and looking forward to resuming her civilian life in February. One major component of those plans was marrying her fianc?e, Haidee Loreto. Pierce said they had been discussing whether they would stay in Massachusetts after marrying or move elsewhere. Bay Windows was unable to get in touch with Loreto for this story.

"She was in the best mood. She was very happy about everything. ... When she was here during her visit we were conducting ourselves in preparation for her return," said her brother.