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Fort Lewis soldier lost in Iraq laid to rest

Apr-16-2004 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

[Link to Full Article] Includes a picture.
The Associated Press

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - Army Spc. Tyanna Avery-Felder, a Fort Lewis soldier killed during the war in Iraq, was remembered Thursday as a fighter, a friend and a hero.

"Although we are sad at her passing, we are exceptionally proud of her and of her service," Gov. John Rowland told those gathered for her funeral inside Mount Aery Baptist Church. "Our world is a better and safer place because of individuals like Tyanna. We are forever in her debt."

Family, friends and clergy members filled every pew at the church. Her parents, Ray and Ilene Avery, and husband, Army Spc. Adrian Felder, sat quietly and listened as mourners spoke of her strength, infectious smile and kind heart.

"Tyanna was my soldier and I knew her very well," said Sgt. Thomas Smith Jr., who was stationed with Avery-Felder at Fort Lewis. "She was a daughter to me. She even called me Dad.

"I can tell you she was a joy to be around," he said, fighting back tears. "She was respected and loved by her military family."

Avery-Felder, 22, who grew up in Bridgeport, was killed April 7 when the truck she was in hit a makeshift bomb a week before she was scheduled to go on leave to visit her family in back home.


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