Flags to be lowered in honor of former National Guard member
Rocky Mountain News
Published September 25, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Gov. Bill Ritter will honor a former Colorado National Guard member - who died Friday from wounds he suffered in combat in Iraq two years ago - by ordering U.S. and state flags on government buildings lowered today.
Staff Sgt. Wesley Hunter, 28, will be interred at 10 a.m. today at Fort Logan National Cemetery.
Hunter died in Texas, where he was from. He leaves behind a wife and two children, including a 3-year-old son and a 22-month- old daughter, according to the Lubbock (Texas) Avalanche- Journal.
Hunter began his military career in the Colorado National Guard in 2001. He joined the Army in 2004.
In August 2005, he went to Iraq with the 10th Mountain Division out of Fort Drum, N.Y. In 2006, he was riding in a Humvee when the vehicle hit an improvised explosive device.
Insurgents opened fire, wounding Hunter several times, according to the Avalanche-Journal. Hunter was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star.
Featured
-
DNC in Denver
Complete coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention.
-
The Crevasse
A five-part series that examines one tragic day on Mount Rainier.
-
Deadly denial
Sick nuclear workers applied for government compensation but most haven't seen a dime.
-
Final Salute
The Rocky followed Maj. Steve Beck as he took on the most difficult duty of his career.
-
'Colorado's burning'
Coverage of the state's worst wildfires.
-
Columbine shootings
Coverage of the April 20, 1999, shootings at Littleton's Columbine High School.
-
The Crossing
Colorado's deadliest traffic accident killed 20 children on Dec. 14, 1961.
-
Osveli's journey
Osveli Sales left Guatemala for a better life. Two months later, he came home in a box.
-
Wake for an Indian warrior
Oglala Sioux bestow a tribute to the first tribal fatality in Iraq.
