Army Staff Sgt. Guy S. Hagy Jr.

Died September 13, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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31, of Lodi, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed Sept. 13 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his observation post in Baghdad.

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California soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

LODI, Calif. — Staff Sgt. Guy Stanley Hagy Jr. wanted nothing more than to play video games, dine out and relax with his family when he returned from Iraq last month on a two-week leave.

“He was just thrilled to be home with his wife to enjoy the mundane things,” said his aunt Denise Grady of Stockton.

Hagy, 31, was killed Sept. 13 when a bomb exploded near his unit’s observation post in Baghdad. A former resident of Lodi, south of Sacramento, he was a mortar specialist assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas.

Family recalled Hagy as generous and kind.

“Stan was the kind of man who couldn’t see anyone in need of help and not assist them,” Grady said. “Because of his helpful nature, people were drawn to him wherever he went.”

Hagy, one of six siblings, was born and raised in the small Virginia ranch community of Thompson Valley. He worked as a welder in Lodi before enlisting in the Army in December 1996. He transferred to Fort Hood last year.

“He loved hunting and fishing, particularly with his father,” said Goldie Kiser, another aunt. “The family is devastated. This is their oldest child.”

Memorial services for Hagy were scheduled at Fort Hood and at Thompson Valley Church of God in Tazewell County, Va. A funeral is scheduled Sept. 27 in Lodi.

Besides his wife, Elysia, 33, and her son, Robert Fulton, Hagy is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth, 13; his father, Guy Sr.; his stepmother, Victoria Hagy; and siblings Andrew, Chris, Jeffrey, Joe and Luciann.