Gate dedicated to DA civilian

Courtesy Photo | Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin, the commander of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, speaks at a memorial ceremony for Linda J. Villar, an AMC employee who was killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad.  

03.02.2006

Courtesy Story

207th Public Affairs Detachment

The Army Materiel Command's Forward Repair Activity gate on Logistical Support Area Anaconda was named in honor of Linda J. Villar, a Department of the Army civilian, on Feb. 22.

Villar was killed in a mortar attack in Baghdad June 3, 2005 while serving as the chief of the 3rd Infantry Division Logistics Support Element.

"We are here today for the sole purpose of remembering a great American patriot who left us on Friday, June 3, 2005," said Col. Jack O'Conner, commander of the Army Field Support Brigade-Iraq. "It is very fitting that Linda's friends identified the Forward Repair Activity gate as the dedication site. Everyone entering will be able to see it, and pay tribute to a Department of the Army civilian who made the ultimate sacrifice to her family, her unit and her country."

Villar deployed to Iraq to support the 3rd Inf. Div., first as an AFSC Logistics management specialist, then as the chief of the 3rd Inf. Div. LSE.

"There are so many reasons for dedicating the CECOM FRA gate in Linda's honor. She was an incredible person who answered the call of duty with distinction and courage," said Butch Wentworth, the Communications and Electronics (CECOM) site manager. "Linda was absolutely dedicated to the Soldiers she served."

Gen. Benjamin S. Griffin, the commanding general of the U.S. Army Materiel Command, was on hand to help dedicate the memorial.

"I'm honored to participate in this dedication to the memory of Linda Villar," said Griffin. "She inspires all of us with her dedication, and coming to Iraq."

Griffin said he hoped the memorial will help those who knew Villar to remember her, and those who did not to reflect on the support DA civilians provide to the military.

"This ceremony serves as an example to all of us that wear the uniform, and the civilians that support the military, of a great American that came to Iraq to support Americans here and the Iraqi people, and made the ultimate sacrifice."

When asked what message he would like to pass on to Villar's family, Griffin replied, "I would thank her family for her service to the nation, to Army Materiel Command and to the 3rd Infantry Division; for what she stood for and what she represented."

Brig. Gen. Rebecca Halstead, commander of the 3rd Corps Support Command and LSA Anaconda, said the memorial is a special way to pay tribute both to Villar and to the relationship Soldiers share with DA civilians in places like Iraq.

"It's a wonderful dedication. Civilians are combat multipliers on the battlefield," said Halstead. "They're our strategic partners. I think it's absolutely appropriate to do this recognition. I think it means a lot to the family, and it means a lot to the Soldiers who come through here."

Villar is survived by her husband, David, and her daughter, Tenisha.

• Date Taken: 03.02.2006
• Date Posted: 03.02.2006 08:57
• Story ID: 5564