Paratrooper with the 4th Brigade Combat Team remembered

Courtesy Photo | Army Pfc. Grant W. Wise, a paratrooper with the 3-509th Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, died of a single gunshot wound Dec. 25, 2012 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. He was remembered and honored during a memorial ceremony held at the Soldiers’ Chapel Jan 15, 2013, on JBER. (Courtesy Photo)  

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, UNITED STATES

01.15.2013

Story by Staff Sgt. Jeffrey Smith 

2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division Public Affairs

A memorial to remember the life and service of Pfc. Grant W. Wise, an infantryman with the 3-509th Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, was held Tuesday at the Soldiers’ Chapel here.

Wise was born on Dec. 18, 1987, in Fairport, N.Y., where he is survived by many family members to include his parents, Philip and Ruth Wise, and his brothers, Andrew and Justin Wise.

Wise joined the Army on Oct. 11, 2011. He completed Basic Training, U.S. Army Infantry School, and the U.S. Army’s Basic Airborne Course. He conducted additional training with the U.S. Army’s Special Forces Assessment and Selection Course. Wise was then assigned to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in September of 2012.

Wise was well liked and admired by many of his peers, t
wo of his peers delivered eulogy speeches at the memorial.
Pvt. Matthew R. Rossiter, a fellow infantryman with the 3-509th, said Wise was a great soldier and an even better man.

Rossiter said Wise was a very strong minded individual, and he would often go to Wise for advice.

Spc. Erik A. Rusch, a paratrooper with the 4-25 Brigade’s 1-501st Battalion said, “Grant was one of the best people I’ve ever met.”
“I was extremely blessed to have a friend like Grant,” said Rusch. “He not only put all his effort into being a great soldier, but being a great person in general.”

Many members of Wise’s family made the trip to Alaska from his home town to attend the memorial.

Chaplain Capt. Bradley D. Kattlemann, the 3-509th Battalion’s Chaplain, delivered the welcome speech, scripture and invocation, and memorial address.

Wise died from a single gunshot wound. He was found in another soldier’s barracks room on the morning of Dec. 25, 2012.

His death is still under investigation by the U.S. Army’s Criminal Investigation Division here.

• Date Taken: 01.15.2013
• Date Posted: 01.23.2013 13:50
• Story ID: 100899
• Location: JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, AK, US