Sgt. Pledger Gave His Life For His Country

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20090419_A_soldier_s_last__valiant_fight.html

By Harold Jackson
Inquirer Opinion Columnist

I had expected the three-volley salute, but still flinched when the soldiers fired their guns. Funerals always put me on edge. Later, as the honor guard stoically removed the flag from the casket, and folded it to present to Bros' daughter, I thought, "How appropriate."

It was fitting that retired Staff Sgt. Homer O. Pledger Jr. be buried with full military honors. After all, his death was service-related, a result of his tour of duty in the Persian Gulf. No, not in this Iraq war; it happened 18 years ago in Operation Desert Storm. Apparently, that's where Bros contracted ALS. How, no one knows.