John Bubeck has services ahead of burial at Arlington

TRAPPE -- Sgt. John T. Bubeck was a man who followed his heart and put others before himself.

More than 100 family members, friends, service men and women, and local and state dignitaries gathered Monday in Augustus Lutheran Church to pay their last respects to the young man who gave his life serving his country.

On Dec. 25, Sgt. Bubeck, 25, of Collegeville, was participating in combat operations in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Sgt. Bubeck, who was assigned to the 9th Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division in Schweinfurt, Germany, before his unit was sent to Iraq, died of his injuries on Dec. 26.

"John lived the same way he died -- following his heart and what he believed in," Sgt. Bubeck’s childhood friend, Jack Diferdinando told the mourners, including U.S. Rep. Jim Gerlach and state Sen. John C. Rafferty.

"I know when he went into the military, a lot of us thought it might not be the best move, but John wanted to do it," Kyle Laverty, another of Sgt. Bubeck’s childhood friends, said.

Both men characterized their friend, who made the ultimate sacrifice for his country, as someone who was strong-willed and determined, and above all, a friend, a brother who wanted to leave his footprint on the world.

"John is a friend you could only wish to have and we were all lucky enough to be those friends," Laverty said. "John definitely wanted to take his life and make a print on this Earth, and that’s exactly what he did. I’m going to be proud to say, forever, that I was John’s friend, and I’m really going to miss him."

The Rev. Herbert H. Michel said that military life and the family of God have a lot in common.

"It’s all about what we can do for each other," he said. "It’s not about me, it’s about the guy next to me and the guy next to him."

Rev. Michel said Sgt. Bubeck exemplified putting the group before the individual during his time in the military.

Brig. Gen. Jesse R. Cross, the senior representative for the Army at the funeral, spoke of Sgt. Bubeck as a soldier with uncompromising loyalty.

"Serving one’s country is a noble calling," Cross said. "John chose to be a soldier and faithfully and honorably served (his country). John was a proud soldier."

"We can never repay your debt," Cross told Sgt. Bubeck’s mother, Judith, sister, Kathryn, and his brother, James. "John paid the ultimate sacrifice to this nation. His lasting gift to us is our freedom."

Cross presented Sgt. Bubeck’s mother with the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Global War on Terrorism medal, the Iraqi Campaign medal and the Combat Action medal.

After the funeral service, members of the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of men and women who stand in honor for fallen soldiers and who stood holding American flags in the rain throughout Sgt. Bubeck’s funeral service, recognized Sgt. Bubeck’s family.

"Ladies and gentleman, the mother of an American hero," one member said of Sgt. Bubeck’s mother. Those in attendance saluted in unison.

From the Mercury

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John T. Bubeck dies of injuries from I.E.D.