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Fallen hero's memory lives on

Mar-10-2006 » Filed Under: 1/25 SBCT

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By Tracy Dang

t's been a year since Spec. Clint Gertson of Eagle Lake was killed while serving in Iraq, and Gayle and Susan Gertson are beginning to heal from the loss of their youngest son.

“When they first told me, I wanted to fall on the ground and die,” Gayle said. “It takes everything out of you.”

“Sometimes you wonder how you're ever going to get through this,” Susan said. “But you take one day at a time. What really hits you is when you hear people that don't agree with the war, and you hope that the war is not in vain. My biggest nightmare is that we forget what they die for.”

Clint, 26 at the time, was a member of the U.S. Army 1st Battalion 24th Infantry Regiment 1st Brigade 25th Infantry Division, also known as the Stryker Brigade Combat Team or Deuce Four.

He was done for the day Feb. 19 of last year but had volunteered to fill in for one of his comrades and go on patrol duty again.

“We were loading up to go back when a guy pulled up in a car about 200 meters away and shot a single shot,” Captain Jeff Van Antwerp said. “Clint was standing about a foot from me, and the bullet hit him right above the left shower, went all the way through his chest and came out the other side. We rushed him back to hospital and tried to resuscitate him, but it was too late.”


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