Army Staff Sgt. Asbury F. Hawn II

Died August 14, 2005 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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35, of Lebanon, Tenn.; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 278th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Tennessee Army National Guard, McMinnville, Tenn.; died Aug. 14 in Tuz, Iraq, of injuries sustained Aug. 13 when his Humvee came under attack by enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire in Tuz, Iraq. Also killed were Spc. Gary L. Reese Jr. and Sgt. Shannon D. Taylor.

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A dedicated soldier, husband, and father

Associated Press

Until his death, relatives of Asbury F. Hawn II knew nothing of the honors he had earned previously for bravery and dedication to duty. The Rev. Steve Marcum suggested another.

“If I could suggest one more medal for this brave man and dedicated husband, father, son and brother, it would be for humility,” Marcum said during Hawn’s funeral.

Hawn, 35, of Lebanon, Tenn., died Aug. 14 of wounds from an attack the previous day in Tuz. A 1988 high school graduate, he was based at McMinnville.

“He was always asking us to send crayons, coloring books and supplies for the Iraqi children who have never seen a crayon and most of whom live in huts,” said sister Faith Brownlow. “He was a patriot in the truest sense.”

Hawn joined the Army in 1993 and was deployed to Haiti on a peacekeeping mission before enlisting in the Army Guard in 1996. He had worked at Nissan for about five years when called to active duty last June.

“As a little boy, he wanted to be a soldier. As the baby brother of three older sisters, we spoiled him rotten,” said Brownlow.

He is survived by his wife, Angie, and sons Jonathan, 12, and Spencer, 4.