Army Staff Sgt. Gregory L. Elam

Remember Our Heroes

Army Staff Sgt. Gregory L. Elam, 39, of Columbus, Ga.

SSgt. Elam was assigned to the 54th Quartermaster Company, 49th Quartermaster Group, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Lee, Va.; died Dec. 11, 2007 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, as a result of a non-combat-related illness.

For many in Iraq, Gregory L. Elam was fellow soldier who became a shoulder to cry on, and an ear to listen.

"As a friend, he was a person you could always go to. He's a leader as a soldier, so you could go to him for anything military-wise, and also fellowship-wise," said Staff Sgt. Patrick Curley.

Elam, 39, of Columbus, Ga., died Dec. 11 in Kandahar of a non-combat related illness. He was a 1986 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lee.

His closest friends say he was a military man at heart, but his love for people was what really made him stand out.

"Greg was the type of guy, that he met no strangers. Greg was soft-spoken but he left an impact. When you met him, he just grew on you, he was just that type of person," said Rev. Willie Jones, a family friend.

Elam joined the Army in October 1986. He is survived by his wife Angela, and two daughters -- Jamieliah, 15, and Imani, 8.

"Who will call me Cantaloupe and poke fun at my frizzy hair, or losing too much weight while deployed? It's not going to be the same without you," wrote Sgt. Denetra Mathis-Cantu.

Army Staff Sgt. Gregory L. Elam died from a non-combat related illness on 12/11/07.