Army 1st Lt. David L. Giaimo

Died August 12, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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24, of Waukegan, Ill.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; killed Aug. 12 when his Humvee hit a land mine in Tikrit, Iraq.

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Soldier was a natural leader who earned respect

Associated Press

Getting good grades wasn’t enough for David L. Giaimo — he had to join the National Honor Society. Being a good shot wasn’t enough either — he had to be a championship-winning marksman, “David was a born leader,” his family said in the statement.

“He earned respect and people naturally followed him.” Giaimo, 24, of Waukegan, Ill., died Aug. 12 when his vehicle hit a land mine in Tikrit. He graduated high school in 1999, had attended Iowa State and was based at Fort Stewart.

Giaimo was on the high school’s rifle team for four years and its captain for two, during the last of which the school won a state championship.

A lifelong baseball fan who was an honorary batboy for the Chicago White Sox when he was 8, Giaimo was a shortstop and catcher on the varsity baseball team.

Giaimo had been promoted last July from second lieutenant to first lieutenant.

“He was a good brother, a good kid, and matured into a fine young man. David was patient and quiet. He did himself and us proud,” the family said.

He is survived by his father, Thomas, and his mother and stepfather, Julie and Frank Derrig.