Migration
4 from Rose Barracks remembered
Stars and Stripes
May 14, 2004
A memorial service was held Wednesday to honor four soldiers of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division who died this month in Iraq as the result of a Humvee accident. Three of the Soldiers - Cpt. Christopher James Kenny, Sgt. Gregory Leonard Wahl and Pfc. Lyndon Anson Marcus Jr. - were with Troop F, 4th Cavalry Brigade Reconnaissance Troop, and the fourth Soldier - Staff Sgt. Marvin Ross Sprayberry III - was with Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment. All four Soldiers will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star and the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal. (Allison Eckel / Special to Stars and Stripes)
Four soldiers who died May 3 in Balad, Iraq, when their Humvee left the road and flipped over in a canal were honored with a memorial service Wednesday in Vilseck, Germany.
The soldiers, all from Rose Barracks in Vilseck, were: Capt. Christopher Kenny, 32, of Miami; Staff Sgt. Marvin Sprayberry III, 24, of Tehachapi, Calif.; Sgt. Gregory Wahl, 30, of Salisbury, N.C.; and Pfc. Lyndon Marcus Jr., 21, of Long Beach, Calif.
Marcus, Kenny and Wahl all were assigned to Troop F, 4th Cavalry Regiment. Sprayberry was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment.
Kenny joined the Army in October 2001. After spending eight months in Iraq last year during the first rotation of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he returned to Iraq earlier this year with Troop F, where he served as troop executive officer.
“He was the best XO that I’ve had in the three companies that I’ve commanded; he epitomized the word dedication and worked himself to the bone to effectively resource the troop,” Capt. Ty Johnson, commander of Troop F, said during the memorial service, according to a Training Times news release.
Kenny is survived by his wife, Mitzy, and his parents.
Sprayberry enlisted in the Army on Aug. 16, 1997. In Iraq, he served as a Bradley Vehicle System mechanic. Sprayberry was first assigned to 2nd Battalion in 1999.
“Marvin always enjoyed working with the soldiers and taking care of them,” Sgt. 1st Class Gary Pelletier said during the service. “That was his No. 1 priority.”
Sprayberry is survived by his wife, Nadje; his parents; two brothers and a sister.
Wahl joined the Army on Jan. 13, 1996. He was assigned to Troop F on Jan. 15, 2003, as a chemical operations sergeant.
“For as big as he was, he spoke and acted like a gentle giant,” Sgt. 1st Class Peter Millington said of Wahl.
Wahl is survived by his wife, Marciela; his daughter, Alexis; his parents and two brothers.
Marcus enlisted in the Army on Jan. 21, 2003, and was assigned to Troop F on June 24, 2003, as a vehicle driver.
At the service, Spc. James Caudill spoke of Marcus’ “infectious smile” and said, “I will miss my friend, but I take comfort in the fact that heaven has another beautiful voice.”
Marcus is survived by his parents.
Sprayberry and Kenny, who were promotable at the time of their deaths, were promoted posthumously. All four soldiers will receive the Bronze Star Medal posthumously.