Spc. Luke Frist, assigned to the 209th Quartermaster Company, Army reserve, based in Lafayette, IN, died of wounds he sustained while part of a convoy that was struck by an improvised explosive device near Ramadi, Iraq. He suffered burns over 95% of his body.

He grew up on a farm in IN where he worked the fields with his father. Two members of Frist’s unit, speaking at his memorial service, recalled, “He was a great soldier and a great man. There was never a task too big. He was as strong as an ox.”

Luke was a loving son, brother and friend. He was an American hero. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.