Army Spc. Roger G. Ling

Died February 19, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Douglaston, N.Y.; assigned to Company C, 1st Battalion, 34th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, Fort Riley, Kan.; killed Feb. 19 of injuries sustained from small-arms fire and an improvised explosive device attack in Khalidiyah, Iraq.

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When Spc. Roger G. Ling’s Humvee was struck by a homemade bomb in October, he survived the attack, and he worked to keep his superior officer alive.

“It almost killed me. From what I’ve been told, (Roger) helped keep me awake until my medic arrived,” said Lt. Matt Homa. “Ling was a good kid. You could count on him to do anything.”

The 20-year-old from suburban New York City was killed Feb. 19 by hostile fire in Khalidiyah, Iraq. He was stationed at Fort Riley, Kan.

Leona Ling said she was grateful her brother came home in August just before leaving for Iraq.

“He had to have his tonsils taken out,” she said. “It was a blessing in disguise because we got to see him again.”

In phone calls home, the soldier spoke wistfully of returning to New York and going to college. “He wanted to hear about what was going on at home and all the latest family gossip,” Leona Ling recalled.

Survivors include his father, Wai Ling, a U.S. Army veteran.

— Associated Press