James Musack laid to rest

RIVERSIDE, IA - About 300 people attended the funeral service of Army Sgt. James Musack today and remembered him as a loving family member and friend, as a hulk of a man and leader of soldiers.

A continual theme during the 14 eulogies of the 23-year-old Riverside soldier, who was killed last week in Iraq, was that many considered him like a son or brother.

"James, he was the little brother I never had," said Mike Poch, 23, of Riverside, who called Musack one of his best friends.

"He was the guy --" Poch said, pausing as he became emotional, "-- he was the guy I got to give advice to."

Musack died from injuries suffered in a non-combat-related incident Nov. 21 in Samarra, located about 80 miles north of Baghdad, according to the Department of Defense. No other details of his death have been made public except that it is being investigated.

He was awarded today the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious achievement and the Army Good Conduct Medal for exemplary behavior, which were presented to his mother, Yvette Eastom of Glenpool, Okla.

Musack's tour, which was his second of Iraq, was scheduled to end today, his family said. Instead, his family and friends gathered for funeral services at Highland High School, where he graduated in 2002.

Musack was buried on a windswept hilltop at Riverside Public Cemetery, about 15 miles south of Iowa City, with full military rites.

At Highland High, the school's flag flew at half-staff, and 22 members of the Patriot Guard Riders -- a group of veterans and motorcycle riders who provide escorts during military funerals -- lined the sidewalk leading into the school holding American flags on a bitterly cold morning.

Musack's body lay in an open casket at the rear of the gymnasium prior to the service, a burnt-orange Texas Longhorns baseball hat and a framed photograph of him in uniform near his head. Musack was stationed out of Fort Hood, Texas, with the 7th Squadron, 10th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

The casket was closed and escorted to the front of the gym, with an American flag draped across its top, as the service began.

A collection of photographs showed Musack in a variety of lights: as a member of the Highland football team, fishing, in the Army, kissing a girl, his mouth comically stuffed with food at a restaurant.

"He talked me into a lot of goofy stuff," said his brother, Reggie Grandstaff, 21, of Coralville.

During the 80-minute service, Musack also was remembered for his size -- he stood about 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighed 250 pounds - as well as his caring nature and for being a strong leader.

Mike Poch's father, Riverside Mayor Bill Poch, who thought of Musack as another son, said he asked Musack before his second tour of Iraq why he would go back.

"He straight out said, 'Because I want to go back to be with my men. I want to go back to be with my soldiers,"' Poch said. "He was in a leadership role."

Musack's fiancee, Melissa Martin of Tulsa, Okla., said she last spoke with him about two weeks ago and he made her make a promise.

"That promise was if he did not come home, we would all keep doing what we were doing," she said.

From the Gazette

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