FORT HOOD, Texas -As sunlight peered through the stained glass windows, Family, friends and fellow Soldiers gathered together at the Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran's Chapel, here, to pay their respects to Sgt. 1st Class Ferdinando Gandy, Sept. 9.
Gandy, a native of Florence, S.C., was formerly assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, and served as a generator repair mechanic until his death from health-related issues on Aug. 25.
"It's as if he's born to lead Soldiers," said Capt. Antwan Henning, commander for E Company, as he remembered the things that made Gandy a great leader. "He took pride in everything he did and he was a great professional."
Soldiers made their final remarks and reflected on how Gandy touched each of their lives.
"I will forever be grateful that he was there at the right place at the right time to make an impact on my life," said Gandy's platoon leader, 2nd Lt. Kurt Reynolds.
Reynolds concluded the memorial ceremony with a poem entitled "Not how did he die, but how did he live."
Gandy served in the U.S. Army for a total of eighteen years including five overseas deployments.
Social Sharing