Army Spc. Allen J. Vandayburg

Died April 9, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Mansfield, Ohio; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, Vilseck, Germany; killed April 9 when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle in Barez, Iraq.

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Family mourns soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

MANSFIELD, Ohio — Wearing his dress blue uniform, a Marine wept and held onto his parents as his brother’s casket was placed in a hearse Saturday afternoon, less than three weeks after he’d arrived in Iraq.

People lined the sidewalks of downtown as the funeral procession went by for Army Spc. Allen “A.J.” Vandayburg, 20, killed April 9 in Barez, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, the Department of Defense said.

Vietnam veteran Mike Keller and his family stood across the street from the funeral home, watching quietly as the long procession pulled out of the parking lot.

“We had to come. A lot of people are coming,” Keller said.

Vandayburg loved serving his country, the Rev. David Root said at the service in this city about 65 miles north of Columbus. Burial followed at Mansfield Cemetery, where a young boy stood and saluted as the hearse passed through the gate.

Root told the standing-room-only crowd at the funeral to carry on Vandayburg’s good deeds and remember what he had done for his country.

“He was special and that is why you are all here,” Root said. “This is painful. This hurts. You will all remember where you were when you first heard that A.J. was dead.

“He chose to take the tough road. He knew the risks. In his small way he changed the history of his country.”

Vandayburg’s girlfriend, Melanie Greim, 22, of Vilseck, Germany, was among those at the funeral. She had planned to come to Ohio to meet Vandayburg’s family after his tour in Iraq ended.

“A lot of people in Germany loved A.J.,” she said. “He was so lovable. My mother would call him ‘my little son’ and cook for him.”

Vandayburg’s parents worked with the Army to get Greim flown in for the funeral.

“We took her into our home,” said Vandayburg’s father, Allen. “She’s family.”

Vandayburg was a gunner on a Bradley fighting vehicle in a convoy that came under attack, Allen Vandayburg has said. One civilian and 22 military members from Ohio have been killed in Iraq.

Flags were at half staff throughout the city. The Army conducted a full military burial with a seven-gun salute, buglers playing “Taps” and a bagpiper.

His brother, Chris Vandayburg, is stationed at Quantico, Va. He accompanied his brother’s body home on Wednesday.

“Most of the way,” he said, “I spent a lot of time staring out into space.”

Army Brig. Gen. Roger Nadeau presented the family with A.J. Vandayburg’s Combat Infantry Badge, a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.

Vandayburg played golf and baseball at Mansfield High School before graduating in June 2001. The next month he signed on for a three-year stint in the Army, serving in Kosovo and Germany before being deployed to Kuwait and on to Iraq in late March, his family has said.

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Body of soldier killed in Iraq returned to Ohio

MANSFIELD, Ohio — The body of an Ohio soldier killed in Iraq was returned to Ohio on Wednesday, his family said.

Spc. Allen “A.J.” Vandayburg, 20, of Mansfield, was killed April 9 in Barez, Iraq, when a rocket-propelled grenade struck his vehicle, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Vandayburg was a gunner on a Bradley fighting vehicle in a convoy that came under attack, his father, Allen Vandayburg, has said.

Vandayburg’s brother, Chris, a Marine stationed at Quantico, Va., was on the US Airways flight that brought the body to Columbus, according to his family. The body then was taken to Mansfield, about 65 miles north of Columbus.

The funeral will be Saturday at Finefrock-Williams Funeral Home followed by burial at Mansfield Cemetery.

Vandayburg played golf and baseball at Mansfield High School before graduating in June 2001. The next month he signed on for a three-year stint in the Army, serving in Kosovo and Germany before being deployed to Kuwait and on to Iraq. He had been in Iraq about two weeks, his father said.

— Associated Press