MADISON (WKOW) -- He was a trooper who gave his all to help others. That's why Trooper Anthony Borostowski's sudden and tragic death Tuesday morning hit hard for many.
"He was a great officer, it's a real shame," said Tom Philbert, Borostowski's uncle.
He had many titles. To his comrades with the Wisconsin Army National Guard, he was Staff Sgt. Anthony Borostowski. He was deployed to Kuwait as a combat medic in 2005 and in 2009 was deployed to Iraq as a trauma specialist. He returned to the Middle Eat in Afghanistan in 2012, also serving as a combat medic.
"He was a great little kid and had ambition. He got into the army and he excelled at that and he always wanted to make a difference," Philbert said.
That ambition would get him several awards and decorations. They included the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal and the Drill Sergeant's Badge, among others.
After his time in the National Guard, Borostowski joined the Wisconsin State Patrol.
"He saved somebody's life on the job," he said.
He was awarded for that effort in 2015 by Governor Scott Walker. It was for an incident where he gave CPR to a man while responding to a call, ultimately saving the man's life.
But on Tuesday morning, sadly nobody was there to help Borostowski after officials say he lost control of his patrol car, went off I-90 and hit a tree.
"He was a very serious kid," his uncle said.
To some, he was a hero, but to everyone he was a man who served behind different uniforms in an effort to help others.
For more on this story: http://www.wkow.com/story/35128393/2017/04/11/remembering-trooper-borostowski