Major in La. guard killed in Iraq bombing - Army News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Army Times

Major in La. guard killed in Iraq bombing

SHREVEPORT, La. — The executive officer with the Shreveport-based 2nd Squadron, 108th Cavalry Regiment, has been killed in Iraq, the Army National Guard says.

Maj. Ronald Wayne Culver Jr., 44, of El Dorado, Ark., was killed Monday when his vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, said Lt. Col. David Peterson, a liaison between the National Guard and the Culver family.

The attack occurred near Numaniyah in southern Iraq, a release from the Louisiana Army National Guard Wednesday revealed.

The vehicle’s gunner, Spc. Kenneth Boyer, with Alexandria-based B Company, 199th Brigade Support Battalion, sustained minor injuries during the attack and is expected to make a full recovery, the release said.

Culver is known to Shreveporters through his work with the local unit during its prior deployment as the 1/156th Armor Battalion in Iraq in 2004-05, through boss days at Camp Minden and through the unit’s work in responses to hurricanes. His widow, Tracey Culver, is the kindergarten and day care director for the First United Methodist Church of El Dorado.

“Major Culver’s positive influence and sense of duty will be felt in the squadron for years to come,” said squadron commander Lt. Col. William Rachal. “He was loved and respected by all. I have known Wayne Culver for more than 10 years and will always remember his sense of humor, sound counsel and his constant concern for soldiers. We are deeply saddened by the loss of this fine officer and friend.”

A graduate of LSU Shreveport, Culver received numerous military honors during his 22 years in the Guard, including the Bronze Star Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the Army Achievement Medal with one oak leaf cluster, the National Defense Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, the Armed Forces Reserve Medal with M Device, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, the Louisiana War Cross and the Louisiana Commendation Medal.

“The Army has the seven core values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal courage,” said squadron Chaplain Capt. James Collins of Norman, Okla. “To me, Wayne exemplified those Army values. We learn them and we are supposed to live them. Not everyone does ... but he did. He was a friend to everyone, regardless of rank. It didn’t matter if they were a cook or a general, he treated everyone the same. He was a good husband, a good father and a good soldier, but most importantly, he was a good man.”

Culver was the son of Ronald W. Culver Sr. and Betty Culver, both of Shreveport. In addition to his widow, he leaves behind two children, Michelle Francis, 16, and Ronald Wayne III, 13. Before his latest deployment, he was employed by AmerCable.

As of early Wednesday, Culver’s body was in Kuwait, but it is now transit and could arrive at Dover, Del., as early as Wednesday, Peterson said.

Funeral plans are pending, but Peterson said at this time the intent is for services to be in El Dorado, with a procession to Shreveport for burial with full military honors in a cemetery here.

Culver was second-in-command of the 2/108th that left Shreveport in January for a yearlong deployment to Iraq, after training in Mississippi. The unit is headquartered at Fort Humbug.

In a 2005 article in The Times, Culver, then a captain, shared a sentiment with The Times that rings true today.

“The general public may not know or understand how much of a sacrifice these soldiers have made for our freedoms back home,” he said.