Hundreds pay tribute to fallen soldier

(Photos by Michael Fischer) First Sgt. Jeff Six of Fairfield, Iowa blows taps during graveside services for Staff Sgt. LeRoy Webster while members of the Patriot Guard stand at attention Saturday, May 2, 2009, in Hartley, Iowa. Webster was killed while on patrol near Kirkuk, Iraq. He was the 18th soldier from northwest Iowa killed since military operations began in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In all, about 700 people attended Webster's memorial service at the Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School gym. The 28-year-old soldier died April 25 after being shot near Kirkuk, Iraq. His unit, from the Army's 1st Cavalry Division, was on patrol when it came under fire in the northern part of the country.

His family, city and country said a final goodbye at Pleasant View Cemetery on the southern edge of Hartley. He leaves behind a wife, Jessica, and three daughters: Natasha, a third-grade student in Hartley, Kaydence, a kindergarten student, and Jadyn, who was born in November 2006.

His friends and family remember Webster for his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty.

"You're talking about not only a noncommissioned officer, but a soldier that was liked by all," said Brig. Gen. Tim Orr, the Adjutant General for the State of Iowa, on Saturday. "He was an example for all to see ... You're talking about a very experienced soldier, leader and NCO that was well-respected not only in his community here at Hartley, but by his Army community. It's evident by the people who showed up here today and the outpouring of emotion. He was a very, very well-respected soldier, leader and member of this community."

Webster also had ties to Sioux Falls, S.D., and governors in both states ordered flags lowered to half-staff on Saturday.

The proclamation was merely a formality in Webster's hometown. The houses and businesses along U.S. Highway 18 through Hartley already lowered their flags in the days leading up to Saturday's services.

Residents knew the protocol in a community that has seen its share of heartbreak. It was the second time in four years that the town of 1,700 lost a young leader in combat duty.

Army Staff Sgt. Shane Koele died in 2005 during a deployment in Afghanistan. Orr said Webster was the first Iowan to lose his life in service to his country in 2009.

Hartley police stopped traffic an hour before the memorial as dozens of motorcyclists representing the American Legion and Patriot Guard Riders made their way from the cemetery to the high school. The groups created a row of flags as an escort along the sidewalks leading into the gym. American Legion members and other veterans from throughout northwest Iowa arrived by bus and took on similar duties at the cemetery.

Fire trucks and area residents lined the city streets from Main Street to the the high school in honor of the fallen soldier.

"I see the very same response all across America, and I've been to small towns and larger ones, too," said Maj. Gen. Abraham Turner, the Chief of Staff for the United States Strategic Command at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha. "We see the same responses there. I am just really grateful for all of the great support this community has given this great family."

Orr said the scene brings tremendous respect and honor to Iowa's soldiers and communities.

Jessica Webster, wife of Staff Sgt. LeRoy Webster, clutches a dogtag and the flags that draped the casket of Sgt. Webster as she leaves graveside services.

"I've been all through Iowa," he said. "I've spent most of my service time here - 30 years - and I've been to about 25 of the soldiers' funerals. I will tell you: The reaction isn't any different in any community in the state of Iowa or in Minnesota where I've attended funerals."

"I think what you see is, this country is very patriotic. Its people, they will always come out to support our fallen soldiers. I think it's a tribute to our nation and its support for its veterans."

A bagpipe player played "Amazing Grace," seven soldiers synchronized three rifle shots overhead and a trumpet player made a 350-mile trip from Fairfield to play "Taps" for the graveside services. Several members of Webster's unit drove up from Fort Hood, Texas, to pay their respects and comfort the family.

"We also know, by the reports we get back from the units where he served -- they loved him. They understood that he loved his family," Turner said. "He loved being 'dad.' He loved his girls, so there's no doubt in our mind that he was a very, very loving dad and a family man."

The tribute took place on the kind of day Webster would have enjoyed. He likely would have spent the warm and breezy weekend morning setting up a campsite or tinkering with his swing at one of the area's golf courses. He shared his passion for the outdoors with Jessica and his daughters.

"I soon realized if I wanted to see him in the summer, I was going to need to learn how to golf. Because if I didn't know how to golf, I wasn't going to see him in the summer. So, I learned to golf," Jessica Webster said, in an recent interview. "And, every kid, as soon as she could hold golf clubs -- or before -- was on the golf course with us."

While in Iraq, Webster urged soldiers in his division to maintain their connections back home.

"He spoke of his family a whole lot with his men," Turner said. "He encouraged those younger soldiers who worked for him, who had families, to keep in touch with them. He always told stories about his daughters."

Webster took that same commitment into the Army, and into his units where he served, according to Turner. Webster joined the U.S. Army National Guard unit in Spencer and served a one-year tour with Homeland Security during the post-Sept. 11 mission in Indiana. After Kaydence was born, the family moved to Sioux Falls. A year-long tour in Afghanistan, as a guard member, followed.

"He enjoyed it so much that he decided he wanted to do this for a career," Orr said. "I think when you see that dedication, the multiple deployments and being able to balance that -- he was a great individual and a great leader when it comes to setting an example for others."

Webster joined the active Army in March 2006 and was stationed at Fort Hood. Five months later, he was deployed to Iraq. A month after that, his youngest daughter, Jadyn, was born.

The soldier returned to Fort Hood in January 2008 and the family used the time together to play in the yard and try out the rock band simulation video game "Guitar Hero." They enjoyed a year in Texas before the sergeant was deployed a last time to Iraq. The Websters moved back to Hartley to be closer to their northwest Iowa roots.

"Deployment isn't successful without a family," Orr said. "We promote that really hard -- it's a team effort. In this case, to have five deployments and to have the family life and to be able to care for children as he did, it is very evident that he had a very solid and loving relationship with his wife and his children."

Webster is also survived by his parents, Donald and Crystal Webster, brother Matt Webster and sister Connie Breon, all of Hartley. Jessica's parents, David and Nancy Rieck, also live there along with many other friends and relatives.

"We all realize this is a tremendous loss to the Webster family," Turner said. "Staff Sgt. Webster's young wife, Jessica and kids have now lost a dad because of this. This is a significant loss to us. We feel the same remorse that the family does. We feel the same emptiness that the family does because we've lost one of our own. I think you'll find that feeling throughout the entire leadership of our Army -- both from the Army at strategic command and also the Iowa National Guard with General Orr."

Sgt. Webster dedicated himself to serving his nation and taking care of other soldiers, Turner said.

Members of the Patriot Guard arrive in Harley, Iowa, to provide help for the funeral services of Staff Sgt. LeRoy Webster of Harley on Saturday, May 2, 2009. Webster was killed in a ambush while on patrol near Kirkuk, Iraq.

"He was one of our heroes," the general added.