Sunday, July 15, 2007

Maryland's Sixty-First Hero


erictcaldwell
Originally uploaded by Randuwa
Army Spc. Eric T. Caldwell, 22, of Salisbury, Md.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Jan. 7 in Iraq of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire.

HE BELIEVED IN WHAT HE WAS DOING

As family and friends of a fallen soldier escorted his casket to a nearby hearse Monday, more than 60 men and women gathered on the grounds of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church to wave American flags and pay their respects.

“He died doing what he believed in,” his father, Brian A. Caldwell of Pennsylvania, said earlier this month.

Following the service, Caldwell’s body was taken to Arlington National Cemetery for interment.

As pallbearers carried the casket from the sanctuary, Salisbury resident Chris Lewis saluted the man who served his country for more than two years.

“I came to pay my respects to a person who helped make it possible for me to live my life each day as I know it,” the 33-year-old said Monday. “Being here lets the family know that people are here for them and that we respect what their son did.”

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