Army Spc. James A. Butz

Died September 28, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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21, of Porter, Ind., died Sept. 28 in Mirmandab, Afghanistan, of injuries caused by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

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Hundreds mourn Ind. soldier killed in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

CHESTERTON, Ind. — An Indiana soldier killed by a bombing in Afghanistan was remembered Tuesday as a hard worker and dedicated combat medic who died running “the race of a hero.”

Twenty-one-year-old Army Spc. James Butz of Porter was killed Sept. 28 while trying to treat two soldiers injured by an improvised explosive device.

The Times in Munster reports that people waving American flags lined the streets Tuesday while members of the Indiana Patriot Guard and other groups escorted Butz's funeral procession from Bethlehem Lutheran Church to Chesterton Cemetery, where he was buried.

Chaplain David Meyer of the 3rd Brigade combat team of the 82nd Airborne told those at a graveside service that there is no higher commendation for a medic than to give his life helping others.