SSG Ernest G. Bucklew, U.S. Army
July 28, 1970 – November 2, 2003
Ernie grew up in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. After graduating from Preston High School in 1988, he joined the Army Reserves and served as a cook with the 354th Ordnance unit out of Morgantown, West Virginia, for several years. Intending to make the Army his career, he enlisted in the Army in 1999 and was assigned to the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment at Fort Carson, Colorado. His unit was deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, where he handled ordnance. On November 2, 2003, Ernie was on his way home for his mother’s funeral when the Chinook helicopter he was a passenger in was shot down over Fallujah.
His legacy lives on through his wife, Barb; his sons, Joshua and Justin; his extended family, friends, and comrades.
