 York Daily Record -- A Florida man whose family recently moved to York County was killed last week in Iraq.
Army Spc. First Class Brett E. Walden, 40, died in Rubiah, Iraq, on Aug. 5, according to the Department of Defense. Walden and another solider, Sgt. 1st Class Robert V. Derenda, 42, of Ledbetter, Ky., died while on a convoy mission after a fuel truck collided with their armored Humvee. Two other unidentified soldiers were injured in the collision.
 Walden is survived by this wife, Autumn, and their 12-year-old daughter, Alexandria. The couple had been married 15 years and purchased a Dover Township farm last month, friends said. Autumn Walden recently accepted a job with York County District Attorney’s Office.
Walden was a weapons sergeant for the 1st Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), Fort Campbell, Ky., since May 2001.
He had gone to Afghanistan for one tour of duty and just recently started his fourth tour in Iraq.
Walden was a decorated soldier who won numerous honors, including the Combat Infantry Badge, the Expert Infantry Badge, the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal and the Army Achievement Medal.
Arrangements for Walden were incomplete, according to a spokesman from the Harrisburg funeral home handling his arrangements, Gilbert L. Dailey Funeral Home. At some point, the soldier will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia with military honors. His family could not be reached for comment Monday evening. |
I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice, not just in Iraq, but in Afghanistan as well. And to your family, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
"Green Berets All The Way!"