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‘He knew the risks, but he wasn’t afraid’

Aug-29-2006 » Filed Under: 3/2 SBCT

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MICHAEL GILBERT; The News Tribune

It was harder for Army Sgt. Gabriel G. DeRoo to go to Iraq this time. He had a wife now, and a new son.

But he went. He had a profound sense of duty, and an abiding Christian faith that no matter what happened, God would take care of him, his wife and parents said.

Loved ones he left behind are taking comfort in their young soldier’s convictions and drawing on their own faith to get them through.

DeRoo, 25, was killed Aug. 20 when he was struck by small-arms fire in Mosul, the Defense Department said. He was the first soldier from the 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division to be killed since its return last month for a second tour in Iraq.

An overflow crowd of some 500 people gathered for a memorial ceremony Monday at the Fort Lewis Main Post Chapel.

Commanders, chaplains, soldiers and family members told of a man who lived by his principles, and above all was dedicated to his religious faith.

“He would kid … about having to do things the hard way, whether it was hoeing on his hands and knees in the garden, whatever it might be,” said his father, David, an eighth-grade teacher from Decatur, Mich.

“I said, ‘The Army is a pretty hard choice,’” he recalled. “He says, ‘Dad, I’m healthy. I’m a young man. And I owe it to my country, truly the best country on the face of the earth.’

“How could I argue with that?”

His wife, Hannah, read a brief statement to reporters that her husband returned to Iraq out of “a sincere love for this nation and for the Iraqi people and with a complete trust in God. … He knew the risks, but he wasn’t afraid.”

Related Article:

Family Mourns Death Of Fort Lewis Soldier - KOMO News, includes interview with Hannah DeRoo


Comments For "‘He knew the risks, but he wasn’t afraid’":

To the DeRoo Family, our sympathy to the family of this young soldier. May you find the strength to somehow get through these days. Only someone who has gone through this can ever understand the pain and loss you are feeling. Sgt. DeRoo sounds like a wonderful young man. We will keep you all in our prayers and our thoughts.

Posted by: borr [TypeKey Profile Page] | August 29, 2006 2:06 PM

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