[ WAR IN IRAQ ]
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Brandy Williams, of Waipahu, second from left, and her daughter, Mya, 3, watched as the casket of her husband, Army Sgt. Eugene Williams, was lowered into the ground yesterday in Mililani. At left is Eugene Williams' sister, Lori Ann Ackert.
A soldier killed in a suicide bombing in Iraq was buried on a windy hillside yesterday, just a few miles from the Army base where he had been stationed. Mililani Memorial
is site of service
for slain soldierAssociated Press
The coffin of Sgt. Eugene Williams was carried to the grave site at Mililani Memorial Park by members of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry, the 25th Infantry Division unit he had served with at nearby Schofield Barracks.
During the service, Maj. Gen. Eric Olson, the division commander, presented to Williams' widow, Brandy, the Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals, which had been awarded posthumously.
The American flag that covered the casket also was presented to Brandy Williams. Another flag was presented to his parents, Ulysses and Betty Jean Williams of Highland, N.Y. Twenty-three members of the soldier's family came to Hawaii from New York and Florida for the services.
They joined the widow and her 3-year-old daughter, Mya, attired in a white dress. Brandy Williams is expecting the couple's second child in June.
The service, held amid alternating sunshine and light rain, concluded with a 21-gun salute and the playing of taps.
Eugene Williams' sister, Lori Ann Ackert, sang as the casket was lowered into the ground. Brandy Williams then dropped two red carnations onto the lowered casket.
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