Lucas White laid to rest

Army Staff Sgt. Lucas White joined the military to honor his Native American heritage and support his family.

His mother, Julia Brooks, said that her son was always interested in the military and that as a youngster, he spent hours playing with toy guns and plastic soldiers.

"Warriors are held in very high esteem in our culture," she said, adding that White's uncle as well as his father, Mervin White, served in the Army. One younger brother, Marcus Ramos, recently joined the Marine Forces Reserve and another, Seth Brooks, is considering joining.

Yesterday, family and friends gathered to bury the warrior at Arlington National Cemetery. White, 28, of Moses Lake, Wash., died Nov. 6 of injuries suffered during an enemy attack in Baghdad.

His wife, Jennifer White, said it was his wish to be buried at Arlington.

"He wanted to be with the brothers and sisters that had his back," she said. "He wanted to have their backs in spirit."

White was the 277th service member killed in the Iraq war to be buried at Arlington.

A bitter November wind rattled the bare trees as mourners gathered around his grave. After the military rituals, White's grandfather, Five Crows, led a Native American service in ceremonial dress. On Saturday, family and friends gathered in Washington for a mourning ceremony that lasted from sunset to sunrise.

White was a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, based in Pendleton, Ore.

Jennifer White said her husband took great pride in his heritage and often drove miles to attend Native American powwows and other spiritual ceremonies.

Before he started basic training, they discussed his reasons for joining the military; she concluded it was out of selflessness.

"He said: 'I'm joining the Army, and I'm doing this for us. I want to make sure you're taken care of,' " she recalled.

White enlisted in 2001 and was scheduled to start Sept. 13, but basic training was delayed because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

He deployed to Afghanistan for a 10-month tour in 2003. In June, he was deployed to Iraq with the 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Family members said that the work in Iraq was physically tough and that White was looking forward to coming home on leave for Christmas. Jennifer White said they were considering buying a house in Washington state and building a life there.

The outpouring of support since his death, from the Native American community and the military in particular, has been tremendous, she said.

"A lot of people have come up to me and said he was the best tour leader they had," she said. "People would ask him for advice, whether it was about work or personal life. He leaves behind a lot of people who loved him."

Julia Brooks said her son's sacrifice would not go unnoticed.

"It's very special to our people -- that someone would sacrifice their life for their family and their country," she said. "He valued everyone else's life more than his own."

White was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

From the Washington Post

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