Army Staff Sgt. Terry W. Prater

Died March 15, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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25, of Speedwell, Tenn.; assigned to the 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died March 15 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Army Staff Sgt. Blake M. Harris, Army Sgt. Emerson N. Brand and Army Pfc. James L. Arnold.

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Retired soldier says slain former comrade saved his life in Iraq

The Associated Press

SPEEDWELL, Tenn. — The widow of slain Army Staff Sgt. Terry William Prater spread his cremated remains on a lake that was a favorite fishing hole before he was deployed to Iraq.

Their two young children, his brother on leave from serving in Afghanistan and a retired Army sergeant who said Prater saved his life in combat attended the midday memorial service March 26.

Prater, 25, was killed March 15 when a roadside bomb exploded in eastern Baghdad.

Retired Sgt. Tim Ngo flew from Minnesota to stand on a boat ramp with Prater’s friends and family members.

“Each and every day I live will be in honor of him,” Ngo said. “I’ll live each day, each minute, as if it’s the first time.”

A military honor guard saluted Prater before the family launched a flotilla of about 10 boats for a ceremony to spread his ashes across Norris Lake.

Prater’s wife, Amy, scattered his remains from a donated bass boat like the one he had dreamed of buying and using on the lake.

“I couldn’t live with myself to not come,” Ngo said. “But there’s nothing you can really say to ease the pain.”

Prater was on his second deployment with the 1st Squadron, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. He received a Silver Star and a Purple Heart in his first tour for saving Ngo’s life in 2004.

Prater used his body to shield Ngo, whose skull had been shattered, from a grenade in a series of explosions in Baghdad on Aug. 4, 2004, the retired soldier said.

“The last grenade landed on the other side of me, and he covered me up,” Ngo said. “He took the blast.”

Prater is also survived by two children, 5-year-old Bryson and 2-year-old Madisen.

The Army allowed Prater’s brother, who is stationed in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division, to return home for the services.

Representatives of the Army, the Claiborne County Sheriff’s Office, the Claiborne County Rescue Squad, the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee National Guard and other agencies attended the service.