Specialist Anthony M. Lightfoot
Born May 19, 1989 in Germany
Died July 20, 2009 in Afghanistan
Spc. Anthony M. Lightfoot, of Riverdale Georgia. Anthony. The youngest of four siblings, Anthony was born into a military family- his mother served for 22 years. The family moved all across the globe, from Germany, to California, until 1996 when they settled in Georgia, where many of the family lived. At the age of four, Anthony took up playing video games, and early on could beat the Mario Brothers at their own game. He knew he was intelligent and had a pretty good head on his shoulders. In June of 2007, Anthony graduated from high school, the first in his family to do so. He said it was “the most amazing day of his life.” As he looked around at the other families who were crying, he joined in with tears himself. In January of 2008, he enlisted in the United States Army, hoping to make a better life for himself, knowing he’d make the best of it even if he didn’t like the military life. He found out that the adventure and challenges it brought to him made him so proud, not only of himself, but his fellow soldiers. The military made a big impact on his life, and he treasured all the friends he had made. The respect and love he felt for them, was returned. When he had time, Anthony was a huge gamer, especially anime, and also spent his time reading and drawing. Anthony deployed to Afghanistan in January 2009 as a field artillery automated tactical data systems specialist. He was killed in action in Wardak Province, Afghanistan, along with three of his team members and buddies when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle was followed by an attack from enemy forces using small arms and rocket-propelled grenade fires. They were assigned to the 4th Battalion, 25th Field Artillery (STRIKE), 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), based at Fort Drum, N.Y. Anthony’s awards and decorations include the National Defense Service Medal and Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star. He was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star posthumously. He is survived by his parents and siblings. Anthony’s brother summed up what his brother was- “Anthony, he just wanted people to get along. He made everybody feel loved and happy. He felt so good about himself and his mission and life. He was happy and valorous about his service.” Anthony was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
The Specialist Anthony M. Lightfoot by Freedom Remembered, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 United States License.
I will forever keep you in my heart and memories. Thank you for being such a great friend and for all the great laughs. May you rest in peace.
I am thankful I got the chance to meet you. I’m glad you were one of my best friends. I’m sad you had to leave so soon. I’m hoping we’ll meet again one day. I miss you. I’ll never forget the memories we shared together. Rest in Peace, Anthony.
There are many things I wish we could have done together. Remembering when makes me sad, but at the same time happy. I’m happy that I knew you. I’m happy that during the time you spent with all of us you made an impact on each and every single one of us. I hope you knew that you were an awesome friend, that you still are especially if memory is anything to go by. Dearest Naruto-kun, haha it seems like yesterday we decided on that Anime character for you, if we could go back we’d probably do everything in our power to protect you. It saddens me to think of how young you were, how much more of this precious life you should still be living. There is no going back though. No matter what I will do, should do, or even can do, there is no going back. From the bottom of my heart, and with all the precious moments I will remember about you, I will, we will, many will, love you always.
May you be in peace, and may your life, and your love be with us all. It was truly an honor to have known you and I will treasure that knowledge forever.
~Yuffie out…
Anthony, you already know how much i loved you and no matter where you are….. i will always love you. We never really did much together but i cherished every moment with you. you brought joy to my life and thats the best thing about you. you never made me feel bad about myself; you were the best person i have come into contact with. When i heard of your passing i couldnt believe it. There was no way my friend could have died! But as i kept finding articles online i realized it…… you passed. I have never been so emotional in my life. It just seems like yesterday i was meeting you for the first time…. and when i wrote you that letter when you moved to Newport News, VA. you kept that picture i sent you of myself….. and to hear that you still had it all these years later……it made me feel like on cloud 9. I will never forget about you and you have made such a huge impact on my life. You showed me the way to a good life. I hope that one day i might could be even half the man you were….. thanks for being such a great person, a great hero. Much love man…..i miss you.
Hey Lightfoot, I’m sorry we never got to see each other again. I just wanted to let you know, I have the Army Times article of you and Pratt… It’s sitting in our Basic Book on my coffee table. I look at it every day and remember what a special friend you were to me, even in the short time we knew each other. You kept me motivated, you kept me strong and my spirits high. And no matter what you say, I totally won that pugils match against you. I’ll miss you man. We all do. Edwards, Bettencourt, Bliele and I. We raise one up to you man, every time we see each other, and one day, you and I will meet again, In the Kingdom Of God. Not too soon, yet not soon enough, my dear friend.