Wife of Fallen Solider: "Recognize the truly heroic sacrifice"
By: WROC-TV
Updated: July 30, 2012
The wife a fallen local soldier wants people to know that her husband of just three months did not die in vain.
Private First Class Solider Theodore Glende was killed in Afghanistan on Friday. The Department of Defense says Glende was killed in Kharwar, Logar province, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire. He was 23 years old.
Wife Alexandra Glende tells News 8 that Glende died saving his fellow soldiers. "I want people to recognize the truly heroic sacrifice he made. He saved five people that day and was the only casualty in the firefight," said Glende.
Alexandra says she has been in touch with those five others who were injured and they are all recovering and have been released from duty for this time, but are expected to survive.
The two had just been married on April 16th. Pfc. Glende was a graduate of McQuaid Jesuit High School in Brighton. Dean of Students at McQuaid, Andrew Cavacos remembers Theodore M. Glende--who went by his middle name of "Matt," as good kid who was never in trouble.
The Glende family returned this weekend from Dover Air Force Base in Maryland, where fallen service men and women are returned to the United States and honored in a dignified transfer ceremony.
Local funeral arrangements are still being planned. The family instead of sending flowers, people can make donations in the honor of Pfc. Theodore M. Glende to the Wounded Warrior Project.
Private First Class Solider Theodore Glende was killed in Afghanistan on Friday. The Department of Defense says Glende was killed in Kharwar, Logar province, when enemy forces attacked his unit with small-arms fire. He was 23 years old.
Wife Alexandra Glende tells News 8 that Glende died saving his fellow soldiers. "I want people to recognize the truly heroic sacrifice he made. He saved five people that day and was the only casualty in the firefight," said Glende.
Alexandra says she has been in touch with those five others who were injured and they are all recovering and have been released from duty for this time, but are expected to survive.
The two had just been married on April 16th. Pfc. Glende was a graduate of McQuaid Jesuit High School in Brighton. Dean of Students at McQuaid, Andrew Cavacos remembers Theodore M. Glende--who went by his middle name of "Matt," as good kid who was never in trouble.
The Glende family returned this weekend from Dover Air Force Base in Maryland, where fallen service men and women are returned to the United States and honored in a dignified transfer ceremony.
Local funeral arrangements are still being planned. The family instead of sending flowers, people can make donations in the honor of Pfc. Theodore M. Glende to the Wounded Warrior Project.
