Army Sgt. Freeman L. Gardner Jr.

Died March 22, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Little Rock, Ark.; assigned to the 18th Engineer Company, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died March 22 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on combat patrol.

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Arkansan fighting in Iraq dies of battle injuries

The Associated Press

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — An Army sergeant from Arkansas has died in Iraq, the Defense Department announced March 25.

Sgt. Freeman L. Gardner Jr., 26, of Little Rock died March 22 in Baghdad from injuries he suffered when an improvised explosive devise detonated near his unit while he was on combat patrol.

Gardner was with the 18th Engineer Company, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Fort Lewis, Wash. He was serving his first tour of duty in Iraq and had been there since last June, according to Joseph Piek, a spokesman for Fort Lewis.

Gardner’s unit is expected to return home this June or July,

Gardner entered the Army on June 9, 2004, and arrived at Fort Lewis the following Dec. 30, Piek said. Gardner was a signal systems support specialist, meaning he helped maintain or supervise the battlefield communications systems.

Gardner received several awards, including the National Defense Service Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.

Gardner graduated from high school in 1998 and was married. Piek did not have Gardner’s wife’s name and didn’t know if he had any children. Piek said a memorial service at Fort Lewis would probably be scheduled for later this week.

Gardner was the fourth soldier from Fort Lewis to die in Iraq during the past 10 days, all from different units and killed in separate incidents. He was the 94th service member from Fort Lewis to die in the Iraq war.