Gregroy Wright laid to rest

The sun had started to set at Arlington National Cemetery yesterday by the time a silver hearse carrying the body of Army Sgt. Gregroy A. Wright pulled into Section 60.

A coffin bearing the 28-year-old father was draped in an American flag, and mourners followed as uniformed soldiers carried it to the grave site, where it was placed among the rows of white headstones.

Wright, of Boston, was killed Jan. 13 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle during combat operations, according to the Defense Department. He was assigned to the 1st Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kan., and was the 298th person killed in the Iraq war to be buried at Arlington, cemetery officials said.

A chaplain delivered a brief Protestant service to the 100 or so mourners assembled, and in military tradition, a three-shot volley was fired in salute and a bugler played taps. As the soldiers stood at attention, their coats flapped in the cold winter wind.

Wright's father, Conroy Wright, and his mother, Rubena Watson, received folded American flags. His grandmother, Fay Wright, accepted a flag as well and nodded when the presenter offered his condolences.

Shortly after his son's death, Conroy Wright told reporters that his son wanted nothing more than to serve his country. Wright immigrated to the United States from Jamaica when he was 19, but he had a strong desire to show his appreciation for his adopted country by joining the military, according to the Boston Globe. Wright applied to Boston College but decided to join the Army National Guard instead. In 2004, he joined the Army full time.

"I knew he'd be something great, and this is a proud moment," his father told a Boston television station.

Wright's heroes included Bob Marley, Nelson Mandela and "all men and women who serve in this country's military," he wrote on his MySpace page. In the weeks since his death, the Web site has become a place for friends to share their grief.

A friend from Salem, Mass., posted pictures of Wright wearing an Army beanie and a Livestrong bracelet. In each photo, he is holding an infant. "Greg, I don't want to believe it right now that you're gone," she wrote. "You're too good to be gone this soon."

Wright, who listed himself as divorced, left behind a 3-year-old daughter, Tiaja, his father said.

In another posting, "Cuff" echoed feelings of loss: "God bless you so much brother for sacrificing yourself for friends, family and country. I'm gonna miss the laugh, the smile and the way you made us feel when we were in your presence. I cry because we all lost a very special person."

Read the rest at the Washington Post

Related Link:
Gregroy A. Wright dies of injuries from I.E.D.