Darrel Kasson laid to rest

On this sunny morning in Tucson, Staff Sgt. Darrel Kasson, a native Tucsonan killed March 4 on a roadway in Iraq, was laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery on Oracle Road.

Kasson, 43, died of massive injuries when an explosive device ripped into the Humvee he was riding in, which was leading a 27-vehicle supply convoy in Bayji.

Kasson, a corrections officer at the state prison in Florence, intended to retire from the Army National Guard in February but was called to active duty last summer to train for an October 2006 deployment to the war zone.

His wife, Lori, said they had been looking at property in Show Low last year, planning to retire there in a couple of years.

"He gave the ultimate sacrifice to all mankind. We are here to honor that sacrifice," said Pastor Dale Storm of Florence Baptist Church, where the Kassons worshipped.

"We thank the military who protect us from the evils of this world," he said.

Leo Kasson, 90, of Tucson, sat at the graveside somberly as his grandson's silver casket was lowered into the ground and 16 white doves were released.

Family members said Leo had been looking forward to his grandson's return to Arizona sometime later this month, before he got the news that he had been killed while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Kasson's Purple Heart, a military service medal awarded to those injured or killed in action, lay on a display table beside the grave, which was decorated with red and yellow roses, red carnations and purple irises.

From the Citizen

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