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THE United States government will provide today full military burial
honors to a Filipino-American soldier, who was killed in a bombing
incident during a mounted patrol in Iraq on June 3, in his hometown
in Candon, Ilocos Sur.
US Army Staff Sergeant Greg Phil Gagarin served
in Iraq with the US Army’s Bravo Battery, 1-37 Field Artillery,
3-2 Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which is based in Fort Lewis,
Washington.
In recognition of his valor and dedication,
Gagarin will receive posthumously the Bronze Star Medal, which is
the fourth highest US military award for gallantry in action, as
well as the Purple Heart medal.
US Brigadier General S.G. Trombitas, commander
of Special Operations Command Korea, and a Funeral Honor Guard from
the 8th Army Korea will be present along with military
representatives from the US Embassy in Manila to honor Gagarin and
his next of kin.
Gagarin was born in the Philippines on January
4, 1970. After graduating from John Marshall High School in Los
Angeles, California, he enlisted in the US Army in 1988.
He is survived by his father, Ernesto Gagarin of
Ilocos Sur; his wife, Elma of Manila; his two children, Troy and
Helen; his brothers, Gerry, Gerald, Mitchell, and Melvin; and a
sister, Aileen.
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