Army Sgt. 1st Class Craig A. Boling

Died July 8, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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38, of Elkhart, Ind.; assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 152nd Infantry Regiment, Tell City, Ind.; died July 8 of non-combat-related causes at Camp Wolf, Kuwait.

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Before he was deployed to the Middle East, Craig A. Boling paid a florist to send his wife a bouquet of flowers every month he was gone. Family and friends said he had always been that way.

“There’s not a selfish bone in his body,” said Tony Lubarsky, Boling’s brother-in-law. “He was an awesome guy.”

Boling, 38, of Elkhart, Ind., collapsed and died July 8 while eating with his unit in Kuwait.

A National Guard platoon sergeant with no history of health problems, Boling completed 20 years in the reserves in February and expected to retire from the military. But that was put on hold until after the war.

Family members had already bought fireworks and American flags to line the streets when he returned — one flag for every day he was gone.

“He said to plan a vacation — two weeks, even if we had to take the kids out of school,” said his wife, Tania. “He was looking forward to a break and really missed us.”

— Associated Press