Publication:Chattanooga Times Free Press
Date:Friday, May 27, 2005
Section:Metro/Region; Page:13

By Edward Lee Pitts Military Affairs

CAMP CALDWELL, Iraq — Troops with the 278th Regimental Combat Team mourned Thursday the loss of the unit’s third soldier following the accidental death Wednesday afternoon of Sgt. Alfred "Bart" Siler. Sgt. Siler, 33, of Eagan, Tenn., died from injuries suffered in a traffic accident when the Humvee in which he was riding collided with an Iraqi civilian car near Tuz. Sgt. Siler, a member of the regiment’s Support Squadron, was manning the machine gun on the roof of the Humvee when the impact threw him from the vehicle, officials said.

It was the first accidental death for the Tennessee-based National Guard unit since it began prepping for its Iraq mission last June.

"He was a man of little words but probably had the biggest heart on anybody I’ve ever met," said Capt. Rhonda Jones, commander of Support Squadron’s A Troop. Sgt. Siler served as Capt. Jones’ driver during some of his eight years in the troop.

Kelly Wright, Sgt. Siler’s cousin, said he was a caring man.

"He was a great father and a great son, and he took great care of his sister," Ms. Wright said.

In a statement posted on the Web site of the Volunteer Times, a weekly newspaper in LaFollette, Tenn., Sgt. Siler’s family said, "To family and friends, he will leave an unfillable void. He was a true friend to many and to the very end, a soldier who’s made our country proud."

The Jellico High School graduate is survived by a 3-year-old daughter, a sister, a brother and parents. No funeral arrange ments had been made as of Thursday evening.

Heartbroken soldiers in his unit described Sgt. Siler as a dependable, level-headed soldier and a brother in arms who set an example for other troops.

"You gave him a mission, gave him a time and he’d be there 10 to 15 minutes early ready to go," said Capt. Dan Brown, the commander of the convoy security team Sgt. Siler volunteered to join about three months ago.

Soldiers who want to join the unit are given a one-month trial period, Capt. Brown said.

"(Sgt. Siler) performed so well we didn’t need the 30 days to decide we wanted him," Capt. Brown said.

In his estimated 50 missions with the unit, Sgt. Siler traveled about 8,000 miles all over Iraq through cities such as Baghdad, Tikrit, Kirkuk, Tagi and Balad.

"He was happiest doing what he thought he should do for his country," said Sgt. Buddy McCartt, a convoy security member from Oneida, Tenn.

Sgt. Siler endured two roadside bombs and one small arms fire incident during his convoys, Capt. Brown said.

The unit, which is on the road about five days a week, drops off and picks up people on leave, shuttles supplies such as ammunition from base to base, protects large sums of cash going to fund countrywide projects and escorts Iraqi army soldiers and equipment around the country.

"Any time a convoy left, he hated to be left behind," said Sgt. Shane Reed, of Macon County, Tenn., "He didn’t want his buddies to go without him."

Soldiers said Sgt. Siler’s life outside the military revolved around his 3-year-old daughter, Mikkah. "That girl brought out a side of Bart no one knew about," said Staff Sgt. Marty Kitts, 40, of Lafollette, Tenn. "That’s the saddest part. A little girl won’t have her daddy anymore, and she’ll never know how great of a father he was."

Sgt. Siler was scheduled to go on leave next month, and he had already ordered tickets to take his daughter to Walt Disney World in Florida.

All children touched Sgt. Siler, according to Capt. Jones.

"It was starting to get to him how poor (Iraqi children) are here and how unfair it seemed to have to live in these conditions," Capt. Jones said. "Sometimes it brought him to tears."

Capt. Brown said Sgt. Siler also reached out to Iraqi soldiers by handing them cold bottles of water from his gunner’s perch as the Humvee passed road checkpoints with Iraqis standing guard in the sun.

The kindness of Sgt. Siler extended beyond the Iraqis, according to Spc. Denver Dalton, 24, of Granger County, Tenn. "If he knew you had problems, he’d stay with you until he was sure you’d be all right," Spc. Dalton said.

Before joining the convoy security team, Sgt. Siler, a civilian welder back home, drove heavy equipment transport trucks.

But Staff Sgt. Monty Fritts, 41, of Kingston, Tenn., said Sgt. Siler volunteered for the more dangerous security duty because he wanted to do more for his country. The weather and the work hours never bothered Sgt. Siler, according to Staff Sgt. Fritts.

Staff writer Herman Wang contributed to this story.

E-mail Lee Pitts at lpitts@timesfreepress.com

Contributed Photo - Sgt. Alfred "Bart" Siler of the 278th Regimental Combat Team carries equipment in the field in eastern Iraq.

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