SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Flags are at half-staff Wednesday across the state to honor Patriot Day; a day set aside to commemorate the people killed in the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Following those tragic events, a number of South Dakota soldiers were deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to fight the war on terror.
Sadly a number of them didn’t come back, including Greg Wagner a member of the 147th Field Artillery, who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms.
35-year-old Staff Sergeant Wagner was killed in Baghdad in 2006 by a homemade bomb.
“It hit the passenger side and then the howitzer round went off and made a 30-foot crater,” Dan Wagner said.
Dan Wagner says his brother was the youngest of seven and was all about family; especially his mom, who they called ‘Blondie’
“He never missed getting mom cards, everything Mom’s Day, Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Valentine’s Day and it’s kind of ironic after he was killed on May 8th the following weekend was Mother’s Day and his card arrived,” Dan Wagner said.
Nearly 20 years later it still hits Dan hard when he talks proudly about his brother Greg.
Not only in his guard uniform, but also his football uniform.
Greg was part of the state high school championship football team for the Hanson County Beavers.
“At his funeral, the whole team was there with their uniforms on lining the cemetery
That following football season, the Hanson County School District did something very special to honor Greg’s sacrifice.
“Like I said he was not a football star, but they decided, the school decided unanimously to retire his football jersey, the only time it’s ever been done,” Dan said.
Now Greg, like many others, has a bridge named after him thanks to South Dakota’s ‘Fallen Heroes Bridge Dedication Program’ that was started in 2019.
“It gives our state and our communities an opportunity to thank those families and those veterans who sacrificed their lives for us,” Secretary of South Dakota Department of Veteran’s Affairs Greg Whitlock said.
We will have much more on the state’s ‘Fallen Heroes Bridge Dedication Program’ next week on Eye on KELOLAND.
