About Me

Name: Cyber Pastor
Loading...

Create Your Own Blog Find Other Townhall Blogs

Comments

Additional Information on Fallen Hero

Posted by Cyber Pastor on Tuesday, June 19, 2007 3:36:44 PM
Sgt. earned 2 Purple Hearts


By Brian Blair
bblair@therepublic.com


   A soldier to be buried in Hope just earned his second Purple Heart and was one day away from his 25th birthday when he died from severe burns Thursday in a hospital in San Antonio. 

   Army Staff Sgt. Michael A. Bechert of Schweinfurt, Germany, was awarded the honor for his actions when his vehicle struck an explosive device on May 30 in Baghdad, according to grandmother Doris Bechert. 

   “I hope he will be remembered as a hero,” she said, breaking into tears as she spoke by phone from her home in Inverness, Fla. 

   Bechert was serving his second Iraq tour. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, according to the Associated Press. 

   Doris Bechert said her grandson had his arms amputated at a hospital in Germany because of the burns. In San Antonio, parts of each leg had to be amputated in an attempt to save his life. 

   She said he knew the risks, especially after earning his first Purple Heart in 2004 in Iraq. She and her husband George, who raised him after his mother died, sorely wished he didn’t have to return to the battlefield there. 

   “But he was the one saying, ‘Hey, they need me. So I’ve got to go,’” said grandma.
 
   Bechert’s sister, Teri Bechert of northern Indiana, and the soldier’s wife decided he should be buried at Hope Moravian Cemetery, though he never lived in Hope. His mother and an uncle are buried there. 

   Hope’s Norman Funeral Home is handling arrangements, which are incomplete. 

   Bechert also is survived by a 20-month-old son.
Email ItEmail It | Print ItPrint It | CommentsComments (7) | TrackbacksTrackbacks (0) | Flag as offensiveFlag as Offensive