Sergeant Freeman L. Gardner Jr., of Little Rock, Arkansas, died on March 22, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq, from wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit while on combat patrol.  He was 26 years old. Gardner was assigned to the 18th Engineer Company, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division based in Fort Lewis, Washington.  He joined the Army in 2004 after graduating from the University of Oklahoma, where he had been president of the Zeta Zeta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha. In the Army, he was a signal systems support specialist whose duties included helping maintain or supervise battlefield communications systems.  His unit was deployed in June 2006, and he was serving his first tour of duty in Iraq.  

His fellow soldiers remembered him for being wise beyond his years.  Sgt. First Class Michael Martinez said he was “always willing to help soldiers, teach them, train them.  Even some more senior Non-Commissioned Officers would come to him for advice and counsel because he was knowledgeable about different things.” 

His wife Kara remembered him as “a devoted husband, son, brother, uncle, soldier and friend to many.”  In addition to going to the movies with his wife every Saturday, he loved working on computers, playing video games, reading, studying military and international history.  He also loved college football, especially the Oklahoma Sooners and Michigan Wolverines.” Gardner was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart.