Wednesday, March 28 2007 @ 08:07 AM EDT
Contributed by: tomw
Views: 635
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 WLTX.com -- (Columbia) - A 21-year-old soldier from Columbia died in Iraq while fighting the Global War on Terror.
Richland Northeast High School officials say 21-year-old Private Anthony White of Columbia died over the weekend in Iraq. He was working as an Army mechanic with the 82nd Airborne out of Fort Bragg.
 School officials say White graduated from RNE in 2003. They say he played basketball at the school his junior and senior years.
His former coach, Gary Fulmer, remembers White as an energetic young man. While that spirit came gradually, Fulmer says it made him a key component of the 2001-2002 and 2002-2003 varsity basketball teams.
“He worked hard, never complained about things if he didn't like it or not. He was a team player and he always did his very best,” says Fulmer.
Fulmer says he’s seen several students join the military after graduating from RNE.
“They'd come back and I’d see them after they got out of the military, but this is the first one and it's always heartbreaking to hear news of that,” says Fulmer.
Anthony's teammates say he was a great player on the court, and every bit as much a good person off it.
"What he lacked in size, he had in heart," said former teammate Darius Lane. "He played hard for us every night on the court. Off the court, he was laid back. He loved playing basketball."
Said Antoine Flack, another former teammate, "I called him my brother.
"Most seniors, they don't wanna help anyone who's a freshman. It was like him just helping me, showing me around, letting me know who to hang with, who not to hang with."
After high school, White have taken direction from his childhood in choosing his career. Coach Fulmer says White transferred to the school in 2001 because his family was in the military.
White’s 2001-2002 varsity basketball team earned State Runner-Up honors. And while basketball stars come and go at RNE, Private White’s final impression is one reserved for few.
“They are heroes. Whether they come back alive or whether they tragically get killed, they're still heroes,” says Fulmer.
Private White is the second RNE soldier to die in Iraq, and the third South Carolina soldier in just a week. |
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I would like to say thank you to you and the other soldiers who were also killed in that blast for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
"Airborne All The Way!"