Staff Sgt. Garfield Darnell Green
1-43 ADA remembers fallen Soldier
2nd Lt. Adrian Sayers, 1st Bn., 43rd ADA
Soldiers, friends and family of the 1st Battalion, 43rd Air Defense Artillery, gathered Jan. 29 to pay tribute to the loss of one of their own, Staff Sgt. Garfield Darnell Green.
Green, the A Battery supply sergeant, was killed Jan. 11 in a motorcycle accident while returning home from a field training exercise.
The service was held at Sage Hall and was attended by all the Soldiers in the battalion as well as Brig. Gen. Robert Woods and Command Sgt. Maj. Sidney Weatherspoon, the commanding general and command sergeant major of 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command.
Lt. Col. John Chavez, 1-43 ADA commander, spoke on the recent accomplishments of the Soldiers in Green’s battery, describing them as “remarkable” and “amazing,” and citing the critical role Green had in achieving success as a unit.
“The death of a Soldier under my command is the hardest thing I’ve ever dealt with,” said Capt. Matthew Rawlings, A Btry. commander. “We will remember Staff Sgt. Green by soldiering on and continuing with our mission.”
First Sgt. Curtis Hobson conducted the final roll call, followed by the firing volley and the playing of taps.
At the conclusion of the service, Soldiers lined up to render their final salutes as a tribute to the life and service of their brother in arms.
Green is survived by his wife Philomena and their four children.