Freedom Remembered

Born Aug. 3, 1986 in New Hartford, NY  

Died Jan. 16, 2008 in Iraq

John P. Sigsbee was a 2004 graduate of the Waterville Central High School and studied at Mohawk Valley Community College. Remembered as a young man who was very committed to his friends, he was always happy and had a unique laugh. John was especially close to his grandfather, John Cornelius Sigsbee, and they shared a love for anything to do with the military. John had done research on his family tree and discovered a long line of military service in the family. He himself entered the Army in October 2005 and arrived at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, in April 2006. In July of 2006, while on his first tour of duty in Iraq, he was wounded when the tank he was riding in ran over a roadside bomb. He suffered wounds to his face, neck and hands and was sent to Brooke Army Base in Texas for recovery. He received a Purple Heart for his wounds. After care there, he recoperated at home in New York for several weeks. He returned to Iraq, assigned to the 1st Squadron, 32nd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). He died in Balad, Iraq, when his unit was attacked by grenade and small arms fire during combat operations. His awards and decorations include: two Purple Hearts; National Defense Service Ribbon; Global War on Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon; Combat Infantry Badge; and Weapons Qualification, M4, (expert). John was posthumously promoted to the rank of corporal, which he’d been in the process of attaining, and he was awarded the Bronze Star along with his second Purple Heart. In October of 2008, the Waterville New York Post office was renamed in honor of Corporal Sigsbee. He was buried at Gerald B. H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery in Schuylerville, NY.