Posted on 04/21/2004 11:00:11 AM PDT by Cannoneer No. 4
Edited on 04/21/2004 11:36:26 AM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
PFC Greg R. Goodrich -BARTONVILLE, IL - PFC Greg R. Goodrich, 37, was killed in action on April 9, 2004, when his convoy came under attack while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Funeral services with full military honors were held April 19th at the St. Aloysius Catholic Church in Hillsboro, Wisconsin where he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. Burial was in Greenwood Lutheran Cemetery, Hillsboro.
A Memorial Service will be held at 4 p.m., Friday, April 23rd, at Liberty United Methodist Church will military honors. Dr. Rick Mitchell and Mr. Paul Boserup will officiate.
The family may be contacted at the residence of Mr. and Mrs. Ron Goodrich, 6429 Bevin Drive, North, Macon, GA 31206. They ask that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to the Julian Tucker Sunday School Class of Liberty United Methodist Church, 6511 Houston Road, Macon, GA 31216.
-PFC Goodrich was born in Phoenix, AZ on November 8, 1966 and grew up in Warner Robins, GA where he graduated from high school. He received his Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree from the University of Georgia. PFC Goodrich lived, worked and traveled in several parts of the world, including a year spent in the Czech Republic teaching English as a Second Language. He read and wrote continually and was most proud of having one of his articles published in the Prague Post.
-PFC Goodrich joined the Army Reserve in Bartonville, IL about two years ago and had been in Iraq less than two months when he was killed. He was assigned to the Army Reserve's 724th Transportation Company. -
Survivors include his father and stepmother, Major Ronald N. Goodrich, USAF, Ret. and Teresa Goodrich of Macon; his mother and stepfather, Barbara Havlic Goodrich Jones and R. Dale Jones of Hillsboro, WI; his sister, her husband, Robin R. and Patrick Kilgannon and their two sons, Ryan and Sean, all of New City, NY; his stepsister and her husband, Michelle and Rick Idone of Kathleen, GA.
-Visit www.mem.com to express tributes.
-Snow's Memorial Chapel, Pio Nono Avenue has charge of arrangements
In my state I've been to three funerals of soldiers. They can be very sad and very moving.
If any freepers have not had a chance to attend one of these ceremonies that are open to the public, I'd encourage you to consider it.
thanks for posting this . . . words fail.
Bartonville man earned master's, taught English abroad
and enjoyed fitness, Kubrick films - and driving big trucks
April 15, 2004
By Carrie Kepple of the Journal Star
BARTONVILLE - Pfc. Greg Goodrich was the kind of soldier who would lay down his life for his comrades.
The Bartonville man, 37, was set in his convictions and believed in what he was fighting for in Iraq - "peace." That's what those who knew him say he was like.
"He kept to himself, but he'd talk your ear off if you let him," said Sean Duncan, a friend and co-worker at the Auto Zone on Western Avenue in Peoria. "He really enjoyed being in the service, and what he wanted more than anything was world peace."
Goodrich, who served in the Bartonville-based 724th Transportation Company, died Friday after his convoy was ambushed west of Baghdad.
Two other reservists with that unit remained unaccounted for Wednesday. Since the attack, the whereabouts of Sgt. Elmer Krause, 40, of Greensboro, N.C., and Pfc. Keith Maupin, 20, of Batavia, Ohio, remain unknown.
The flag at the unit's Joint Reserve Training Facility on Airport Road flew at half-staff Wednesday in honor of Goodrich. Soldiers saluted as they walked by it.
Later in the day, Leslie Nell, whose son, Spc. Brandon Nell, is serving with the 724th in Mosul, Iraq, brought a large wreath as a memorial.
"It's heart-wrenching to hear that a soldier is lost, and now it has struck home, and it's close," said Nell, who recalled hearing last week about the attack.
Spc. Heather Cullen, also with the 724th, trained with Goodrich while the unit was at Fort McCoy, Wis. She remembers Goodrich as friendly and loyal to his fellow reservists, adding she thought he cared a great deal about the military and his role as a truck driver.
Up until Goodrich was called upon last year to serve in the war against Iraq, he was a smiling, curly haired sales clerk at the two Auto Zone stores in Peoria. He worked there after moving to Peoria from Georgia about seven years ago.
Leah Hinderer, 38, remembers Goodrich as a happy guy who loved to travel and would do anything to help his friends.
"He had the biggest heart," said Hinderer, a Peoria native who now lives in Athens, Ga. "He helped me move, bury my cat. He would do anything."
Goodrich wasn't the typical Army recruit. He had a master's degree in English education and had traveled to England, where he worked in a pub. He also taught English for a year in the Czech Republic.
Hinderer said she wasn't sure what drew Goodrich to the military. At first, she said, paying off his college debt was a factor, but somewhere along the way, things changed.
"He really got into training and enjoyed working on cars," she said. "He was driving big trucks and he enjoyed that.
In 1997, Hinderer had moved back to Peoria to be with her family, and Goodrich got the urge to move here after he visited her for a few weeks. He substitute taught at a few schools around the area, including Manual High School, she said.
In Peoria, he first lived on Jefferson Avenue before moving to an apartment on Frye Street. His last known address was 300 Colna Street in Bartonville.
He often drove to visit his mother in Wisconsin, and visited father Ron Goodrich and friends in Georgia. But when in Peoria, he depended on his friends, co-workers and librarians for a good conversation. They described him as patriotic.
"He would even paint flags on the windows (at Auto Zone) on the fourth of July," co-worker Teddy Quinn said.
Librarians at the Peoria Public Library said he would come in once a week or more to check out books, music and movies.
"He knew us all by name and would ask about us if we weren't there when he came in," said Maria Garcia, assistant head of circulation. "He never spoke about being in the Army, though."
Library workers described him as talkative, happy and the intellectual type.
"He read a lot of classic literature," Garcia said.
Wanda Phillips, head of the library's art and music department, choked back tears while recalling many conversations she had with Goodrich.
"He listened to a lot of fantasy audio books. He was always upbeat and smiling," she said. "There's a lot of people we see, but he's one of the special ones we remember."
Services for Goodrich will be held late next week in Georgia. He will be buried in Wisconsin.
Reporter Andy Kravetz contributed to this story.
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My own 18 year old daughter joined the Army, and graduated from basic last month. This mom is praying the hostilities will be over by the time she finishes training in August
I agree with you, a unique individual.
God bless this fallen soldier, his family, his friends, and his fellow soldiers.
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