Tommy Lee Latham laid to rest

A Delmar soldier was laid to rest Tuesday. Sergeant Tommy Lee Latham was killed this month while serving in Iraq.

"The first weekend he came back, I greeted him at the door and told him thank you for serving our country," says Virginia Day.

Day remembers the first time she saw Latham in his uniform at Emmanuel Wesleyan Church.

"He was proud, he hugged me, I remember that," she says.

Latham leaves behind a loving wife and two young children.

"It was no accident, me finding you, someone had a hand in it long before we ever knew."

Latham's stepfather Thomas James says, "He told me, If I go over there, I'm afraid and almost certain I won't come back. But, I will be first in battle."

Words did not come easy for Latham's loved ones Tuesday. But they say they will live each day with him in their thoughts and loving memories.

Latham's sister, Jill, says, "You're my little brother, I will always love you with all my heart and I'll never forget the times we spent together."

Latham was eligible for burial at Arlington National Cemetery. However, his family chose to lay him to rest closer to home at the Veterans Cemetery in Hurlock.

From WMDT 47

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