Army Pvt. Mark W. Graham

Remember Our Heroes

Army Pvt. Mark W. Graham, 22, of Lafayette, La.

Pvt. Graham was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died March 7, 2007 at Brooke Army Medical Center, San Antonio, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on combat patrol March 2 in Baghdad.

Lafayette soldier dies from Iraq injuries

LAFAYETTE, La. (AP) -- A soldier injured in Iraq last week by a roadside bomb has died from his injuries, relatives say.

Mark Graham, the gunner on a Bradley vehicle, had been the only survivor when it hit an improvised explosive device Friday in northwest Baghdad, according to his family.

Relatives said he died Wednesday at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he was being treated after losing both legs and a kidney, and suffering third-degree burns over about two-thirds of his body.

"Mark is the hero of his family as well as the country he served," said a brief statement to The Advertiser of Lafayette. "We will never forget his valor and his love of the human spirit."

Graham's mother, Kim Graham, also wrote an essay following her son's passing.

"I am telling my son goodbye today. I'll stand with his wife and my husband and wish him well and God speed," the essay read. "Did we do the right thing, I'll ask? I will have to trust that our leaders know more than they can ever tell the everyday Americans. And I will have to busy myself with mindless tasks till he walks through that door again, safe from harm and into the arms of his family."

St. Thomas More Principal Ray Simon recalled Graham as someone who stood out from the crowd.

"I remember him as a real good, fun-loving kid who was a real leader on the football field," he said. "He was just a fine young man."

As word spread of Graham's passing, several friends posted messages on his family's Web site expressing their condolences. Many postings expressed pride in his actions and service to his country.

"We need not to ask God 'Why Mark?' We need to thank God for giving us the gift of him and the person that he was," read another posting. "We are all so lucky to have known such a hero."

Army Pvt. Mark W. Graham was killed in action on 03/07/07.