Army Pfc. Travis J. Grigg

Died November 15, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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24, of Inola, Okla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 15 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.

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Oklahoma soldier dies in Iraq

The Associated Press

INOLA, Okla. — A 24-year-old soldier who planned to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a firefighter has become the latest Oklahoman to die while fighting in Iraq.

Travis Grigg died Nov. 15 when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb, his father, Barney Grigg, said Nov. 16.

“He was a typical USA boy,” Barney Grigg said. “He was a responsible kid and the military made him a man. He told me that, ‘Dad, I really like this. I feel like we’re helping some people over here.’ ”

Travis Grigg was a member of the Fort Sill, Okla.-based 320th Field Artillery, and was attached to the 101st Airborne Division. He joined the military about 15 months ago and was in Iraq about a month, his father said.

Travis Grigg was traveling in a convoy when his vehicle struck the bomb, which killed two other soldiers and three Marines, Barney Grigg said.

Travis Grigg had joined the military for college money and because he wanted to become a football coach and a teacher. But after being in the service, his father said he decided he wanted to join the Tulsa Fire Department.

“That made me proud,” said Barney Grigg, a volunteer firefighter for 30 years.

Barney Grigg last saw his son July 4.

“He went from a boy to a man,” Barney Grigg said. “He never griped. He did what he had to do.”

Inola High School principal Robert Kinnick said Travis Grigg was a starter in football, basketball and baseball.

“We’re very upset and devastated by it,” Kinnick said. “Freedom isn’t free. It costs the lives of some awfully good Americans, and Travis was one of them. He was very loved by all of his friends.”

Kinnick said school flags will fly at half-staff until Travis Grigg’s funeral.

Travis Grigg’s mother died from cancer two years ago. He is survived by his father, four sisters and two brothers.

The soldier told his father that if anything happened to him, he wanted mourners to donate money to Inola High School’s athletic program in lieu of flowers. Travis Grigg also wanted his sisters cared for in his absence.

Funeral arrangements are pending.
 

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Okla. town says farewell to soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

INOLA, Okla. — Army Pfc. Travis Grigg lived his life as a team player and died the same way.

On Nov. 26, hundreds followed a country road decorated with American flags to a cemetery outside of Inola, the town where Grigg played basketball, football and baseball in high school.

“He always was a team player, and that’s how he died,” said Luther Martin, a family friend. “He gave his life — not for family and friends, but for people he didn’t even know.”

The 24-year-old was one of four soldiers killed in Iraq on Nov. 15 when a roadside bomb exploded and struck their Humvee.

Grigg’s uncle, Larry Grigg, narrated a photo tribute at the funeral, showing Grigg’s life in pictures from infancy and childhood to his young adult years.

“This is a celebration of a young man’s life,” Larry Grigg told the hundreds attending the funeral at First Baptist Church. “So don’t be embarrassed if a smile comes to your face.”

In the Army, Grigg served with the 320th Field Artillery Regiment and was attached to the 101st Airborne Division.

Grigg joined the Army in September 2004 after being laid off from American Airlines. He enlisted in the military as a way to prepare financially for college.

“He was there for his comrades; he was there for his country,” said Brig. Gen. Gary Bray of the Oklahoma Army National Guard. “It’s great to see the sanctuary full. What a fitting tribute to a fantastic soldier.”

Grigg was awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and a good conduct medal, which the military presented to his father, Barney Grigg, during the funeral.

Members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kan., set up a demonstration about a block away to protest what they say is the country’s acceptance of homosexuality. They blame U.S. military deaths on what they call God’s retribution.

Several truck drivers blocked the group as dozens of people from motorcycle clubs throttled their engines.