Army Cpl. Derek A. Stanley

Died June 5, 2006 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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20, of Tulsa, Okla.; assigned to 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died June 5 from a non-combat related cause in Salerno, Afghanistan.

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Tulsa soldier remembered as good family man

By The Associated Press

TULSA, Okla. — Friends and relatives of a soldier who died in Afghanistan say he cared deeply for his family and was a proud and dedicated military man who believed in what he was doing.

Army Spc. Derek A. Stanley, 20, of Tulsa, died Monday in Salerno, Afghanistan, the military said in a news release. His death was not combat-related and remains under investigation, the Department of Defense said.

“Derek always conducted himself honorably and was a much-loved son, brother, grandson, cousin and nephew,” his mother, Darlyn M. Smith, who moved eight months ago from Tulsa to Boise, Idaho, said in a statement released by the National Guard.

“He was his mother’s protector, strength and friend. He loved his family deeply.”

Stanley dropped out of high school in Tulsa and entered the Thunderbird Youth Academy in Pryor where he earned his GED and prepared for a military career.

Retired Maj. Steven Tunnell, the academy director, said Stanley had problems before he entered the school but became a proud young man.

“He was very intent on gaining his education and joining the military, moving on in his life,” Tunnell said. “He was very concerned about being mentally and physically fit.”

Stanley graduated from the Thunderbird Youth Academy in December 2003 in the top quarter of his class. He enlisted in the Army in March 2004.

Pam Smith, the soldier’s aunt, said Stanley’s unit was responsible for guarding buildings.

She talked to Stanley about three weeks ago, and the soldier was in great spirits.

“I know that a lot of people have views on the war,” Smith said. “But I can tell you this, he believed in what he was doing and he was proud of what he was doing. And that makes me real proud of him.”

Family friend P.J. Baker was nervous about Stanley joining the Army but supported him after seeing his excitement.

She spoke with Stanley a couple of days before his death.

“He was laughing, talking about never having seen mountains all away around him, and telling stories about some of the locals he had met,” she said.

Stanley was assigned to the 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) out of Fort Drum, N.Y.

Funeral arrangements were pending in Tulsa.