Army Cpl. Ryan A. Woodward

Died September 8, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; assigned to 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Sept. 8 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from small-arms fire when insurgents attacked his unit during combat operations.

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N.C.-based paratrooper killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A paratrooper from Indiana who was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division has died of wounds he suffered when insurgents attacked his unit in Iraq, the military said Sept. 10.

Cpl. Ryan A. Woodward, 22, of Fort Wayne, Ind., died of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked Sept. 8 northwest of Baghdad, the military said.

Woodward was a scout javelin gunner with the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Woodward, who joined the Army in February 2006, was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division in July 2006.

“Woodward was athletic and very outgoing, he always liked to tell jokes and always tried his hardest,” said Spc. Ceasar Chavez, a friend.

Woodward’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart Medal.

He is survived by his parents, Michael and Sue Woodward of Fort Wayne, Ind.

The unit will hold a memorial service in Iraq.

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Fort Wayne soldier receives posthumous medals for service in Iraq

The Associated Press

FORT WAYNE, Ind. — A Fort Wayne family has received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals awarded posthumously to their paratrooper son who was killed in combat in Iraq.

The awards were presented by members of the 82nd Airborne Division during a funeral service Sept. 26 for Army Cpl. Ryan. A. Woodward, 22, who died in an attack by insurgents northwest of Baghdad on Sept. 8.

“It’s hard to say goodbye because of the man he was,” the Rev. Rich Pagan said during the service at Aboite Lutheran Church. “He wanted to do something with his life. He wanted to make a contribution.”

Dozens of people, many from the Patriot Guard Riders motorcycle group and local American Legion posts, lined the church parking lot before and during the funeral, standing quietly with U.S. flags in hand. One huge flag, held up by two ladder trucks from the Aboite Township Fire Department and Fort Wayne Fire Departments, draped the entrance to the parking lot.

Woodward, a 2003 graduate of Carroll High School, joined the Army in February 2006. After completing basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., he was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., and was sent to Iraq last December.

After the service, Fort Wayne and Allen County police escorted a long funeral procession on the eight-mile drive to Lindenwood Cemetery, where Woodward was buried.

Survivors include his parents, Michael and Sue Woodward, two sisters and one brother.