KTIV NewsChannel 4 Sioux City IA: News, Weather and SportsHartley, Iowa lays to rest one of their finest

Hartley, Iowa lays to rest one of their finest

HARTLEY, Iowa (KTIV) - Like many communities its size, people in Hartley, Iowa lean on each other to get through tough times.

They did just that Saturday, when they laid to rest Staff Sergeant LeRoy Webster, he's the second hometown hero to die fighting for freedom in the Middle East.

"He was a great guy."

Fellow soldiers say Staff Sergeant LeRoy Webster was taken from this world too soon, just two months before his 29th birthday.

But in that short time, he was able to make quite the name for himself.

"When you ask what type of a soldier he was, he was one of our heroes," said Major General Abraham Turner, Chief of Staff United States Strategic Command.

A true American Hero, known for being the first to drop what he was doing to help others.

"Webster, was the kind of guy you want to be with you...He would get you up if you were down, he'd give the inspiration to go on," said Staff Sergeant Haigwood.

"You always want those people that bring a smile to their work, and he definitely was one of those people," said Sergeant Kyle Miller, Bravo Battery 194^th.

This man, who joined the Army to make a difference, also loved those he left at home.

"I was deployed with him in Afghanistan, 04-05 and he was kind of still a new father at the time," said Staff Sergeant Haigwood

"He loved being dad, he loved his girls," said Major General Abraham Turner, Chief of Staff United States Strategic Command.

"The longest lasting memory I'm sure that will stick with me, will be his love of God and love of country," said Staff Sergeant Haigwood.

In all Staff Sergeant Webster served in 5 deployments around the country and in the Middle East.

It's estimated that just one percent of the country's population has served during the War on Terror.

The town of Hartley, Iowa has seen losses much greater than statistics might suggest. Webster is one of two soldiers from Hartley that has been killed since the war started.

The other, Army Staff Sergeant Shane Koele, died in Afghanistan, in 2005.

The Mayor of Hartley says for a town of just 1,500 people, such a great loss has a way of bringing the community together.

"I think it brings unity to the community, by showing their togetherness and to help out the people, like the Websters, and it just brings everybody together," said Clayton Pyle, Mayor of Hartley.

Pyle went on to say that coming together to help is just part of living in a small town they intend to continue helping the families of those lost at war for as long as they might need it.