David Weir dies in Iraq

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Just hours before Army Sgt. David T. Weir was killed in Baghdad, he told his brother in a telephone call that he was in the crossfire of mortars not aimed at him, his brother said Friday.

"He called us pretty frequently," said Chris Weir, one of the slain soldier's five siblings. "He was saying we are just kind of stuck in the middle .... Somebody threw mortars over them and then mortars came back, over the top of them. He said they weren't targeting them. That was his words."

Weir was trained to be a forward observer, calling in fire from air support to protect troops in combat, but his mission recently was more of a policing role, his brother said in a telephone interview from the family's home in Cleveland.

He said Army officials had not yet provided all details about the death of his brother, a member of the 101st Airborne Division. He said they told him the telephone conversation was about four hours before the soldier was killed.

"All we know is they were a dismounted patrol doing security sweeps. He was shot. That's all we know," Chris Weir said as family friends continued to stop by to offer condolences.

The Department of Defense confirmed Weir's death in a Friday statement that said he died Thursday from wounds suffered a day earlier "when he encountered enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire."

Weir is also survived by his wife, Alison, and their 2-year-old son, Gavin.

Weir had just re-enlisted and his promotion to sergeant had been scheduled to take effect Oct. 1 but the Army awarded the rank posthumously, Chris Weir said. He said Army officials told the family not to expect the body to arrive home for five to eight days. Funeral arrangements were pending.

Chris Weir described his slain brother as a "lifelong military guy. That is what he always wanted to do." He said their father is a Vietnam veteran.

"He (David) always made all of us watch military movies," Chris Weir said. "He was just always military driven."

Chris Weir said his brother was "extremely proud he could be fighting them over there so we wouldn't have to be fighting them here. He loved this country very much."

Weir loved football and was a wide receiver at Bradley Central High School, his brother said.

"The boy, he ate and breathed football and the Army. We were always watching football. He was a big UT fan. He wanted to play in college. He was just too small .... All our brothers and dad would sit around every Saturday and throw things at the TV. That was what brought us together, football."

Chris Weir said his brother's most recent visit home was a weeklong leave in March and the family spent the week at a chalet in Gatlinburg.

"The bottom line is we just want everybody to know he died for you and me, no matter what our political view is. He was extremely proud to be able to do that."

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Hundreds Gather to Remember David Weir

Around 500 people gathered for a memorial service in honor of Sgt. David Weir Wednesday night. The service took place at Bradley Central's football stadium, the same stadium in which Weir used to wear number 24. In honor of the former student, School Superintendent Bob Taylor retired the number, presenting a jersey to Weir's family and young son. Taylor said, "It will come out of retirement only when Gavin wants to wear it when he's a (Bradley Central) Bear."

There were a few tears during the service, but mainly, it was what the family had wished for, a celebration of Weir's life rather than a mourning of his death. Chris Weir said, "One of my brother's favorite sayings was that every man dies, but not every man really lives. I stand here tonight assured that my brother lived."

Weir's friends told stories about a young man who was stubborn, funny and loyal. One woman shared how joining the military fulfilled a boyhood dream. Sherrie Ledford taught Weir in the first grade. She said, "I think I reminded him from time to time that he could draw a picture without adding an army tank. Well, that army tank sort of became David's signature."

The visitation for Sergeant David Weir will be this Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at Fike Funeral Home in Cleveland, and the funeral is Monday at 1:00 p.m. He will be buried at the National Cemetary in Chattanooga.

Flags around Cleveland remain at half-staff in Weir's honor. Mayor Tom Rowland asked that they not be raised until after the funeral.

Read the rest at WDEF 12