Army Spc. Allen J. Vandayburg
Family mourns soldier killed in Iraq
Associated Press
MANSFIELD , Ohio Wearing his dress blue uniform, a Marine wept and held onto his parents as his brother's casket was placed in a hearse Saturday afternoon, less than three weeks after he'd arrived in Iraq .
People lined the sidewalks of downtown as the funeral procession went by for Army Spc. Allen A.J. Vandayburg, 20, killed April 9 in Barez , Iraq , when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, the Department of Defense said
Vandayburg loved serving his country, the Rev. David Root said at the service in this city about 65 miles north of Columbus . Burial followed at Mansfield Cemetery , where a young boy stood and saluted as the hearse passed through the gate. Root told the standing-room-only crowd at the funeral to carry on Vandayburg's good deeds and remember what he had done for his country. He chose to take the tough road. He knew the risks. In his small way he changed the history of his country.
Vandayburg's girlfriend, Melanie Greim, 22, of Vilseck , Germany , was among those at the funeral. She had planned to come to Ohio to meet Vandayburg's family after his tour in Iraq ended. Alot of people in Germany loved A.J., she said. He was so lovable. My mother would call him my little son' and cook for him. Vandayburg's parents worked with the Army to get Greim flown in for the funeral. "We took her into our home, said Vandayburg's father, Allen. She's family."
Vandayburg was a gunner on a Bradley fighting vehicle in a convoy that came under attack, Allen Vandayburg has said. One civilian and 22 military members from Ohio have been killed in Iraq . Flags were at half staff throughout the city. The Army conducted a full military burial with a seven-gun salute, buglers playing Taps and a bagpiper. His brother, Chris Vandayburg, is stationed at Quantico , Va. He accompanied his brother's body home on Wednesday. "Most of the way, he said, I spent a lot of time staring out into space."
Army Brig. Gen. Roger Nadeau presented the family with A.J. Vandayburg's Combat Infantry Badge, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
Vandayburg played golf and baseball at Mansfield High School before graduating in June 2001. The next month he signed on for a three-year stint in the Army, serving in Kosovo and Germany before being deployed to Kuwait and on to Iraq in late March, his family has said.
Body of soldier killed in Iraq returned to Ohio
MANSFIELD , Ohio The body of an Ohio soldier killed in Iraq was returned to Ohio on Wednesday, his family said.
Spc. Allen A.J. Vandayburg, 20, of Mansfield , was killed April 9 in Barez , Iraq , when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.
Vandayburg was a gunner on a Bradley fighting vehicle in a convoy that came under attack, his father, Allen Vandayburg, has said.
Vandayburg's brother, Chris, a Marine stationed at Quantico , Va. , was on the US Airways flight that brought the body to Columbus , according to his family. The body then was taken to Mansfield , about 65 miles north of Columbus .
The funeral will be Saturday at Finefrock-Williams Funeral Home followed by burial at Mansfield Cemetery .
Vandayburg played golf and baseball at Mansfield High School before graduating in June 2001. The next month he signed on for a three-year stint in the Army, serving in Kosovo and Germany before being deployed to Kuwait and on to Iraq . He had been in Iraq about two weeks, his father said.
Associated Press
His father had offered him a trip to Las Vegas to celebrate his 21st birthday in August, but Allen "A.J." Vandayburg was leaning toward keeping a family tradition of going to Myrtle Beach, S.C. His mother, Chantil, and 11-year-old sister, Taylor, would have gone along, and they would have swung through Virginia to see his brother, Chris Vandayburg, a Marine stationed at Quantico. Spc. A.J. Vandayburg, 20, of Mansfield, Ohio, was killed when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle April 9 in Barez, Iraq. Vandayburg played golf and baseball for the same high school attended by his father, and graduated in June 2001. The next month he signed on for a three-year stint in the Army, serving in Kosovo and Germany before being deployed to Kuwait and on to Iraq. He had been in Iraq about two weeks, his father said. Days before his death, his family got a letter from him. "He said 'I'm not dying,' " his father said. "He knew I was worried about him, but he was the one worried about me."
