A soldier who grew up in Topsham, has died in Afghanistan, said Peter Rogers, spokesman for the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
In a report from the Washington Post, Sgt. Corey Garver, 26, of Topsham was killed Sunday in Zormat, Afghanistan. Garver was stationed at Fort Campbell, Ky.
According to the report, Garver was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, when he sustained wounds from an improvised explosive device attack.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of Sergeant Garver’s passing,” said Sens. Susan Collins and Angus King in a joint statement Tuesday. “He was a true American hero who valiantly dedicated himself to the defense of our country. His actions on the battlefield demonstrated the highest caliber of leadership and courage and we owe him our enduring gratitude. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family in this most difficult time.”
Sgt. 1st Class Rodney Gagnon of Topsham, who is an Army recruiter now stationed in Utah, said he and Garver’s family got to know each other at church when he was a youngster. The two families spent time together on Bailey Island.
“I can still see him in the field wrestling with his sister over potato chips,” he said by phone.
Garver’s father was a career Navy man, and he followed in his footsteps into the military, Gagnon said. Garver graduated from Mt. Ararat High School before joining the military, according to Gagnon.
“He loved the Army,” Gagnon said. “I remember the day he enlisted. He was very excited.”
“Sergeant Garver died defending his country and we owe him and his family a debt of gratitude for their sacrifice,” U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, said in a statement. “I know words can’t ease the pain that his family is feeling, but I hope they know that the thoughts and prayers of the people of Maine go out to them during this most difficult time.”
Garver’s mother lives in Louisiana and his father and stepmother live in New Mexico, Pingree’s notice states.
A U.S. Army spokesman in Washington, D.C., said Tuesday that specific details of Garver’s death would not be released until his family was notified.
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- A U.S. Army carry team moves a transfer case containing the remains of Sgt. Cory E. Garver at Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Del., on Tuesday. Garver, of Topsham, died while serving in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.
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