1st Lt William Anthony Edens
Born: August 22, 1975
Died: April 28, 2005 in Tal Afar, Iraq
1st Lt. William A. Edens of Columbia, Missouri is a 1993 graduate of Mehlville High School in St. Louis. KNown by most as, Wil, he worked for a while after high school before going to Moberly Area Community College, where he was president of the student body and active in drama productions. When he transferred to the University of Missouri-Columbia, to complete a degree in Russian and a minor in military studies, he joined Tiger Battalion, the university’s unit of the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. He led his ROTC team to two back-to-back regional championships in the annual Ranger Challenge. Wil became a college graduate, an Army lieutenant and a newlywed, all in the space of four months. When he was deployed to Iraq, his wife, Christina, was just finishing up medical school. He was known for keeping his college classes in stitches, including with an Arnold Schwarzenegger impression. Wil leaves his wife, and his parents among others. He was killed at age 29 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military vehicle in Tal Afar, Iraq. Also killed were Sgt. Eric W. Morris, Spc. Ricky W. Rockholt Jr. and Pfc. Robert W. Murray Jr.
Army
1st Battalion
5th Infantry Regiment
1st Brigade
25th Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team)
Fort Lewis, Washington
Burial is at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in Saint Louis, Missouri – Sec N Site 307
The 1st Lt William Anthony Edens by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
