VMI Alumnus Killed in Afghanistan
|
|
LEXINGTON, Va. (Oct.29, 2009) - VMI alumnus Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin, 29, was killed by a roadside bomb while on duty in southern Afghanistan Tuesday, Oct. 27. His remains were among those of 18 Americans who died in Afghanistan that were received at Dover Air Force Base, N.J., in a solemn ceremony Wednesday night.
Griffin matriculated with the Class of 2003, and attended VMI for three semesters. A wrestler, he won his weight class in the 2000 All-Academy Wrestling Championship, and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler.
“He was a tough kid,” said John S. Trudgeon, VMI’s head wrestling coach. “To win particularly in that tournament as a true freshman and to be named outstanding wrestler for the tournament as a true freshman, he had to be tough. I’m not surprised he ended up in the Army and in Afghanistan.”
Eleven other VMI alumni and one former faculty member have died by hostile actions since Sept. 11, 2001.
Funeral arrangements for the Terre Haute, Ind., native are pending. | | | | | |
|
