Henry Linck laid to rest

The Marysville community came together at the American Legion to honor and remember a fallen soldier.

23-year-old Staff Sgt. Henry Linck died while on patrol in Baghdad December 7, 2006.

Childhood friends say Henry was always the one pushing them to better themselves. His brother Michael says Henry would have wanted the family to be strong especially on Christmas.

“He was 23, he'll be - he would have been 24 on Christmas Day,” brother Michael Linck said.

When Michael Linck was five years old, he asked Santa for a little sister, but he got a little brother, Henry, instead.

“I asked Santa to take him back. Now, I know it’s not possible, but I want Santa to bring him back," Linck said.

The memorial service was led by Chaplain (Maj. Gen.) Orris E. Kelly, US, Retired.

Laim Riggs played “Amazing Grace” and “The Minstrel Boy.”

Staff Sgt. Henry Linck was a paratrooper in the United States Army. He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 509th Infantry Regiment (Airborne), 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska. He'd only been in Iraq for two months when he was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad.

“He died doing something he believed in and loved," Michael Linck said.

Friends say Henry would have been overwhelmed by the community support that was shown by the hundreds of Patriot Guard Riders, veterans and community members.

“He would have been so proud,” good friend Andrew Kibble said.

Kibble says Henry often joked about only getting one present on Christmas because it was also his birthday.

“We had planned to send him cookies and a birthday present this year, but it happened, so," Kibble said.

Justin Musil says Henry loved the outdoors and was always dreaming of something bigger and encouraging friends to set goals.

“We always talked about moving out of Marysville and what we were going to do with our lives,” good friend Justin Musil said. "Everybody stops when they think they've hit their limits. Henry always tried to push you a little farther 'cause he knew you had it in ya."

"He was a great soldier, an American hero, a good person."

Staff Sgt. Henry Linck is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

A granite stone with his name engraved will be placed near the American Legion in Marysville.

From ABC 49

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