 Edward M. Saltz U.S. Army Reserve 1st Lieutenant 1976-2003 Bigfork |
Friends, strangers pay tribute to soldier
Story courtesy of The Associated Press
BIGFORK (AP) — Some 450 people, many of whom never knew 1st Lt. Matthew Saltz, honored him Friday at services for the only Montana soldier yet to die in action in Iraq.
Saltz, 27, was killed by a roadside bomb in Baghdad on Dec. 22.
The graveside service at Bigfork Community Cemetery was conducted with full military honors. An honor guard from Fort Lewis, Wash., fired four volleys before a bugler, steam drifting from his bugle, sounded out “Taps.”
The honor guard presented Saltz’s parents, Richard and Catherine Saltz, with a folded flag.
At an earlier memorial service in Bigfork High School, Brig. Gen. Randy Mosley of the Montana Army National Guard presented them with the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, which were awarded to Saltz posthumously.
The parents also were presented with American and Montana flags that flew over the Capitol building in Helena.
The Rev. Jan Whitman of Community United Methodist Church in Bigfork presided over the memorial, speaking warmly of Saltz as a natural leader with strong convictions, a great sense of humor and a sensitivity to others.
Saltz joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Montana State University, where he earned a business degree. He entered the Army as a second lieutenant in May 2001 and served in Oklahoma, Korea and Germany before going to Iraq with the 1st Armored Division in May 2003.