Army Sgt. Nicholas J. Lightner

Died March 21, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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29, of Newport, Ore.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died March 21 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C., of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on combat patrol March 15 in Baghdad.

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Army medic from Oregon dies of injuries from Baghdad blast

The Associated Press

TOLEDO, Ore. — An Army medic from Oregon has died due to injuries from an explosion in Baghdad.

Sgt. Nicholas Lightner, 29, died at Walter Reed Army Medical Center on March 21.

He was injured March 15 when an improvised explosive device went off as his unit was on patrol, the Army said.

His father, Bill Lightner, said his son enlisted four years ago and was deployed to Iraq in November.

“He went for the right reasons,” his father told The Oregonian newspaper. “After 9/11, he felt the need to do something, and that’s what he did.”

By the count kept by Gov. Ted Kulongoski, Lightner is the 84th person from Oregon or with strong ties in the state to die in the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The governor’s Web site lists 82, and on March 23 he ordered flags at public institutions to be flown at half-staff March 26 in honor of an 83rd, Sgt. 1st Class John Stephens of La Grande, also a medic. Stephens, 41, died March 15.

In Toledo, a Lincoln County town just east of Newport, Lightner was described as a nurturer.

“I’m not surprised he became a medic,” said former Toldeo school counselor Sandy Blackwell. “It brought together the two sides of him: the big, strong football player who could do almost anything with the compassionate young man with the big, caring heart.”

She said Lightner played football at Toledo High School.

Some of Lightner’s fellow soldiers died instantly, and another was injured and died later in a hospital in Germany.

Lightner was transferred to Walter Reed, where he died as family members headed east to be with him.

Chaplain Geoff Bailey said in an e-mail to the family that Lightner learned he was the only survivor of the unit and regretted he was unable to save his team members.

“He told me that he became a medic in order to help people and was frustrated that he was unable to do so after being injured,” Bailey wrote.

“When he got out of the Army,” said his girlfriend, Ginger Warfield, 24, “we were going to live together and eventually get married and live happily ever after.”

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Oregon soldier remembered for deep patriotism, courage

The Associated Press

NEWPORT, Ore. — As he lay on his deathbed at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington D.C., Sgt. Nicholas Lightner expressed a regret.

“He said he was sad he was unable to save the lives of his fellow soldiers,” Gov. Ted Kulongoski said March 30 at Lightner’s service in Newport.

Lightner, an Army medic, died March 21 from injuries he had sustained in a blast six days earlier in Iraq. Four soldiers died on the scene, but Lightner was able to save a fifth soldier long enough for him to get to a hospital, though he died three days later.

Lightner was honored at the service for his actions that day in Baghdad, posthumously earning the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Medical Badge.

Kulongoski said no one in a unit is more respected and honored than a combat medic: “In combat, when the chaos begins, everyone’s looking for someplace to duck and hide. But when the call comes out for a medic, there’s one person who cannot hide.”

Hundreds of mourners turned out for the 29-year-old’s funeral, spilling out into the hallways of the small funeral chapel. The speakers eulogized a young man who joined the Army out of a deep patriotism and a desire to help others.

Lightner’s mother died when he was 3 years old, leaving his father, Bill, to raise Lightner and his two older brothers.

Family friend Gerry Ard watched his son Nathan and Nick grow up together, best friends since middle school.

“They were bonded by sweat, mud, bumps and bruises,” Ard said, before turning to Bill Lightner, sobbing. “Bill, you did a wonderful job molding Nick into the man he became. You raised him to love the outdoors. Most of all, you taught him to have compassion.”

Nathan Ard, now an Albany police officer, noted how safe his job is compared to the terrors that face police officers in countries such as Iraq.

“We owe a lot to guys like Nick,” Nathan Ard said. “Because of their sacrifices, guys like me have minor things to deal with, instead of having to worry about getting shot by a sniper rifle or killed by a roadside bomb.”

Lightner was the second soldier from Lincoln County to die this month in Iraq. Lance Cpl. Nathanial Windsor, 20, died March 11 from a bullet wound.