On 16 September 2005, the 4th Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment lost three outstanding men, SGT Matthew L. Deckard, SPC David H. Ford IV, and 1SG Alan N. Gifford. Tree # 195 1SG Gifford, Alan N. UNIT: 4-64 AR, 4 IBCT FROM: Tallahassee, FL KIA: 16 Sep 05 l SG Alan Nye Gifford U.S. Army First Sergeant, Alan Nye Gifford, 39, died September 16, 2005 while serving his country in Operation Iraqi Freedom Alan was born August 7, 1966 in Fayetteville, NC., and grew up in Tallahassee, FL. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1984, where he excelled in football and baseball. Alan joined the Army in 1986 and quickly moved up the ranks due to his leadership abilities and dedication to his soldiers. Alan served 19 years in the service as a Cavalry Scout, in every position from Squad Leader to Company First Sergeant. His career highlights include serving in the 82nd Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, NC., during the Persian Gulf War, and the 1st of the 509 Parachute Infantry Regiment, Ft. Polk, LA., and Echo Troop, lst Calvary, 172nd Brigade, Ft. Wainwright, AK., where he won the prestigious Draper Award. Alan was stationed at Ft.Stewart, GA., and served in Charlie Company, Task Force 4th Battalion, 64th Armor, 3rd Infantry Division. His awards and decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart, the Pathfinder Badge and the Senior Parachutes Badge. Alan, devoted husband of Beth, was married only three short wonderful years. He was the proud father of two-year old Mitchell who he said was the greatest accomplishment of his life. He loved his family and his faithful dog Dakota. He was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting, backpacking and playing golf. Alan always shined like a diamond in the sky, succeeding in everything he did. He knew no strangers and everyone he met always loved him. Alan was a member of First Baptist Church in Richmond Hill, GA. Alan is survived by his wife Beth and son, Mitchell of Richmond Hill, GA; mother, Hedviga Gifford of Concord, NC; father, Douglas and step-mother, Susan Gifford of Warham, MA; paternal grandfather, Clarence Gifford of Warham, MA; brothers, Andre and his wife, Loretta of Concord, NC and Anthony and his wife Angela of Tallahassee, FL. Tree # 196 SPC Ford IV, David H. UNIT: 4-64 AR, 4 IBCT FROM: Ironton, OH KIA: 16 Sep 05 The Associated Press IRONTON, Ohio — An Ohio soldier who was saving money to study forensic pathology was buried in his hometown Wednesday after he was killed in Iraq. Friends recalled Army Spec. David Ford, 20, as a proud soldier who always smiled and treated his friends like family. He was killed Sept. 16, six days after his birthday, when a bomb detonated near his tank. At his funeral, Brig. Gen. John C. Bartley read a statement from Ford’s commander in Iraq. “When I saw him, I thought to myself, ‘My goodness, this soldier looks so young,’ but as time went by I saw him mature from a boy into a man,” Bartley said, reading from the letter. “Watching him grow amazed me. As first gunner I could see he was nervous, but before I knew it, he was standing before me grinning from ear to ear.” Ford, whose father was in the military and whose brother also serves in the Army, was proud to be a soldier, relatives said. “He paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country,” friend John Dawson, a former Marine, said at visitation Tuesday. “I’m here out of respect for him, to honor him.” Family and friends gathered at a small cemetery after the funeral Wednesday. Bartley dropped to one knee and presented the flag from Ford’s casket to his mother, Violet. The Rev. Roger Pierce, who had been Ford’s pastor for about 14 years, said Ford had a smile for everyone. “He was just a good boy and a quiet kid, never had a whole lot to say, you had to pump him to get conversation out of him. I’ll remember him as that grinning little boy,” Pierce said. Ford graduated from Ironton High School in 2003. The school will honor him before its football game Friday evening. Tree # 197 SGT Deckard, Matthew L. UNIT: 4-64 AR, 4 IBCT FROM: Elizabethtown, KY KIA: 16 Sep 05 When Matthew L. Deckard came home from combat, he didn’t like hitting the bars or running wild. He craved more simple, quiet pleasures. “He really wanted to just be a homebody. We had date nights, just me and him. We had movie nights with the kids,” said his wife, Angela. “When he came home for R&R, or just any time he came home from work, he would just jump for joy that they were right there with him. It made his night, every night.” Deckard, 29, of Elizabethtown, Ky., was killed Sept. 16 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He graduated from high school in 1994 and was assigned to Fort Stewart. Deckard loved to take his children fishing or to Georgia’s beaches. Whenever their cars would break down, Deckard, who taught himself how to repair cars, insisted on fixing them himself. He also was a video game junkie, owning both a Playstation 2 and X-Box. Angela Deckard said her husband, a tank gunner and driver, joined the Army because “he just thought it’d be really cool to be on a tank.” Deckard also is survived by his three children, 6-year-old Makayla, 5-year-old Noah and 3-year-old Austin.
Posted on: Tue, 16 Sep 2014 10:00:00 +0000
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