Our Latest American Hero #28

paulspabla
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Army Staff Sgt. Paul S. Pabla, 23, of Fort Wayne, Ind.; assigned to the Army National Guard's 139th Field Artillery, Kempton, Ind.; died on July 3 in Mosul, Iraq, of injuries sustained from enemy small arms fire during combat operations.

“Shining Star Recalled”
Hundreds attend funeral for funny, generous soldier

HUNTINGTON – Pausing several times, once to reach for a tissue, Aaron Lamport said he’s felt a lot of emotions, including anger, over the recent death of his friend Staff Sgt. Paul S. Pabla.

He’s questioned why it was his childhood friend had to die. And he’s questioned why it had to happen eight days before Pabla, 23, was to come home on leave.

But he’s learning to cope, he said Saturday during the funeral service for the Fort Wayne resident.

“I can’t blame God, though, because if I were him I’d want Paul all to myself, too,” he said, choking back tears. “That’s how I felt every time I knew I was going to see Paul. He was the guy you always wanted to be with.”

Lamport was one of several who spoke to about 900 people at the Huntington North High School auditorium, recalling the soldier who could make anyone laugh.

Outside the school, seven members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kan., protesting at the funeral had competition Saturday morning from about 100 other residents who were protesting the group’s presence.

Two people were arrested during the demonstration that lasted about 45 minutes.

A member of the Indiana National Guard and a 2000 Huntington North graduate, Pabla was killed by sniper fire July 3 while on patrol in the northern Iraq city of Mosul. He was a member of the Kempton-based 139th Field Artillery but was deployed in Iraq with the 150th Field Artillery from Bloomington.

First deployed to Iraq in August, Pabla had volunteered for the deployment and helped train police officers, military officials said. Before deployment, Pabla had worked in security at the Indiana Air National Guard’s 122nd Fighter Wing in Fort Wayne.

Gov. Mitch Daniels and Maj. Gen. R. Martin Umbarger, Army adjutant general of Indiana, presented Pabla’s family with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Though not fond of his duty to attend military funerals in the state, Daniels said it’s his most important task.

“These are the days a parent hopes will never come,” he said. “Friends pray for that. Families pray for that. Generals pray for that and governors learn to pray for that as well.”

Describing Pabla as a dedicated soldier who put the safety of others before his own, Army commanders who knew him said he had been marked as a shining star among guardsmen. Pabla was 22 when he was promoted to staff sergeant, a rank some soldiers 10 years his senior still hope to attain, said Lt. Col. Kevin Extine, a commander in the 150th Field Artillery Battalion.

“I remember him, I shook his hand,” Umbarger said. “He had that look that said ‘I’m trained, I’m ready.’?”

But his time serving in the National Guard is only one part of what Pabla’s family members and friends say they’ll remember about him.

Reading a statement from family members, Rev. Roger Vezeau said the man they called “Paul boy,” was an expert at Ace Ventura impressions, had a knack for doing the moonwalk and the robot.

He was as generous as he was funny, the statement said, and gave some of his earnings from the Army to Iraqi police for their training and bought toys for Iraqi children.

These are things that Lamport remembers, too. “If he knew you needed $1, he’d give you $20,” Lamport said. “If the only way to see you was to drive for hours, he’d do it.