Army Spc. Anthony G. Green

Remember Our Heroes

Army Spc. Anthony G. Green, 28, of Matthews, N.C.

Spc. Green was assigned to the 143rd Infantry Detachment, Austin, Texas; died Oct. 16, 2009 in Wardak province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED. Also killed was Staff Sgt. Chris N. Staats.

KAVU -- Hearts are heavy in Yorktown as the city mourns the death of Texas National Guard Spc. Anthony G. Green.

Green, known as Gabriel or Gabe by his friends and family, died on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. The military reports Green and a fellow soldier were killed when a road side bomb struck their unit. Teachers and staff at Yorktown High School say they remember Green as a dedicated student who always dreamed out loud of serving his country.

"The two years that I knew him, he was always going to be in the military," said Margaret Hlavaty, a teacher at the high school." "He was always going to serve."

High school teacher, Shirley Moczygemba said, "I always knew that he wanted to be in the military. He was such a well-mannered and just out-standing child. Just a wonderful student, a model student."

Just 28 years old, Green graduated from Yorktown High School in 2000. Flipping through yearbooks, Green's smile stand outs. Memories of him can be found in old school scrapbooks. His teachers vividly remember him as an active but humble athlete. They say he always played a strong part in the game, but an even stronger part on the team. Things were no different for him in the classroom.

"He was involved in UIL academics, he placed in Lincoln Douglas, and he was in the drama club. I think he was even on stage in a production wearing this blonde wig," laughed Hlavaty.

Green will always stand out in the minds of those who knew him.

"He was a tremendous volunteer. It is no wonder that he would volunteer for the military because that was just him. He was ready to serve on a committee. He was always ready to get other people involved in the organization, and he had leadership qualities," said Moczygemba.

Not only will his roots forever be deeply planted in Yorktown, but so will his memory.

"It proves Uncle Sam needs a few good men, and he had a good one," said Moczygemba.

Green will be buried in Yorktown, and the family told Newscenter 25 on Tuesday that the burial is tentatively planned for this Saturday if Green's body is back in the U.S. by then.

KAVU -- Flags fly at half staff across Yorktown as family, friends and the community mourn the loss of a soldier who was killed while serving our country.

Flags fly at half staff across Yorktown.

"The soldiers came here Friday night about 9:30 and of course I happened to be the only one here, and when I saw them come up the sidewalk, I realized what happened." Spc. Anthony G. Green's grandmother, Dorothy Cleveland said.

Texas National Guard Spc. Anthony G. Green, known as Gabriel by his friends and family, died on a humanitarian mission in Afghanistan. The military reports Green and another soldier were killed when a road side bomb struck their unit.

Green, just 28 years old, was a graduate of Yorktown High School and lived in the small community most of his life before marrying his high school sweetheart and having two daughters.

"He was kind and generous and just loving, and he liked people and it seemed like they liked him too." Cleveland said.

Green's grandmother adds that during high school he talked of one day joining the military, but before enlisting, he worked briefly in North Carolina.

"He loved his country and felt like it was his duty to go and serve." Cleveland said.

But this was not Green's first go around serving our country. He served twice in Iraq before being sent to Afghanistan and he was just weeks away from coming home to visit his loved ones.

"Everyone was looking forward to him coming home, his wife and little girls were planning all kinds of things for him." Cleveland said.

But now, instead of planning a party, they're planning a funeral.

The last time a Yorktown soldier died while serving our county was back during the Vietnam War. The names of those soldiers are listed on a memorial in front of the Yorktown Public Library. In the near future, Spc. Green's name will be added to the list of Yorktown soldiers who have died in the line of duty.

While all of the family is grieving the loss of a beloved son, brother, grandson and husband, Cleveland worries most about his two young daughters who are three and six years old.

"It's going to be hard for the girls cause they really loved their Daddy, and he was really a good father, and he loved those little girls." Cleveland said.

Spc. Green will be buried in Yorktown. The family says the funeral is tentatively scheduled for this Saturday providing that Green's body is back in the states by then.

Army Spc. Anthony G. Green was killed in action on 10/16/09.