Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr.

Died September 4, 2008 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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22, of St. Louis, Mo.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Sept. 4 in Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

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St. Louis soldier dies in Afghanistan

KSDK-TV

A St. Louis family is mourning tonight. Army Pvt. Vincent Winston has become the latest casualty in Operation Enduring Freedom. He died September 4 in Afghanistan.

His mother, Angie Little says, “He was a baby hero. He wasn’t nothing but 22. So young.”

The life of Vincent Winston was cut short in Afghanistan. He enlisted two years ago, but this was his first deployment.

His mother says, “He had just went over there. He just went over there. He couldn’t have been in Afghanistan, what, two whole months.”

According to Little, Afghanistan was a tough adjustment. Winston was just settling into his job as a mechanic when it happened. He and four others were riding in a Humvee when a roadside bomb exploded nearby. Winston died from his injuries.

Angie Little says, “I’m so sad. I’m heartbroken. I’m mad at him and I’m proud of him.”

For Winston, joining the military was family tradition. He was following in his father’s footsteps.

Angie Little says, “He wanted to go in the service and I told him not to because it was during the war. He said ‘I want to mom to get off the streets.’”

His aunt Betty Little says, “We’ve got a dark cloud in our heart. We are so sad. We are hurting.”

Relatives hope Vincent Winston will be remembered as a leader, a role model and a good man.

Betty Little says, “I want them to remember the smile, to remember Vincent as Vincent.”

Funeral arrangements are still being finalized. Winston’s body could return home later this week.

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Army Pvt. Vincent C. Winston Jr. remembered

The Associated Press

Vincent C. Winston Jr. always knew he wanted to follow in his father’s military footsteps.

“He was different from most kids. He was more serious, he stayed determined,” said his father, Vincent Cortez Winston Sr.

Winston Jr., 22, of St. Louis, died Sept. 4 after his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Hood.

Army Maj. Gen. Charles Cartwright told mourners of Winston’s dedication, big smile and love of family. “He asked nothing for nothing,” Cartwright said.

His father, an Army veteran of Desert Storm, often told his oldest son of the realities of Army life. “I told him the Army was a great career, but it wasn’t for everyone,” Winston Sr. said.

He signed up for the Job Corps in St. Louis after going to high school in Tennessee. Then he went into the Army.

“He wanted to get off the streets, and that’s why he wanted to go — he wanted to make something of himself,” said his mother, Angie Little.

Relatives hope Winston will be remembered as a leader, a role model and a good man. His aunt, Betty Little, said, “I want them to remember the smile, to remember Vincent as Vincent.”