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Family, friends remember fallen soldier
Published February 21, 2009
BAY CITY — Joshua Ward was a prankster while growing up in Needville.
In his youth, he repeatedly strapped his brother, Johnny Ward, to a chair with duct tape, and celebrated his sister Brandi Ward’s baptism by tossing June bugs into the pool. But when one of them, or other brothers Ben and Eric, needed help, Joshua did his best to protect them from harm.
U.S. Army Sgt. Joshua Ward, 30, died Feb. 9 in Mosul, Iraq, after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.
“I miss him dearly,” Brandi Ward said while holding back tears. “There will never be anyone else in my life that can take his place.”
More than 300 people gathered Friday at First Baptist Church of Bay City to celebrate the fallen soldier’s life. About 200 motorcyclists and Matagorda County first responders escorted the Ward family to the church from their Matagorda home.
Dozens of onlookers waved U.S. flags, and the Matagorda County Sheriff’s Office flew a large American flag at half-staff.
Friends and family said Joshua Ward was a man who cherished his parents, Patti and John, and had a never-give-up attitude.
“Everything he did was a competition,” Johnny Ward said. “Who had the bigger truck, who had the bigger tires. It was always a competition. But it made him stronger, it made me stronger.”
The Rev. Ralph Howard flew in from Tennessee to celebrate his friend’s life. The two met at youth camp when Joshua Ward was 12 and quickly became best friends.
“I told his mom that I was going to claim him as a dependent or ask for child support,” said Howard, drawing laughs from the congregation. “I was blessed to know him.”
When Joshua Ward enlisted in the Army in 2001, his mother said watching him leave was the hardest thing she’s had to do until now.
Along with his parents and siblings, Joshua Ward leaves behind 9- and 7-year-old sons and another boy due in July, along with numerous other family members and friends.
“Josh was a good man, and his sons should always be proud,” uncle Andy Ward said. “They should know that he loved them very much.”
Joshua Ward graduated from Needville High School and received a football scholarship to Texas A&M-Blinn College, but a car accident that shattered his elbow prevented him from going.
First Baptist Pastor Mike Zimmerman, who offered the Wards his church for the service, said the public participation reminded him of the April funeral for Army Cpl. David McCormick, a Bay City soldier who also lost his life in Iraq. McCormick was the first soldier from Matagorda County lost in Iraq.
“Last year, when it first happened, it was really significant to see people standing on the side of the road all the way to the cemetery,” Zimmerman said. “That really brought the community together for that experience. This one, you can tell there was a similar remembrance.”
When soldiers and family members carried Joshua Ward’s casket outside of the church, dozens of police cruisers and fire trucks flipped on their sirens, while the motorcyclists started their bikes.
The body of Joshua Ward is to be buried today at the Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio.
Nathaniel Lukefahr is a reporter for The Facts. Contact him at (979) 237-0151.
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