June 3, 2007 (Page A1, A7)

By Kristen M. Daum

kdaum@forumcomm.com

WAHPETON, N.D. -- Amy Kuehl took one of a dozen red roses from the vase and placed it gently on her husband's casket, stretching out her arm and laying her head against the dark wood.

Other relatives followed in turn, placing roses on Army Staff Sgt. David Kuehl's casket and bidding the soldier goodbye.

But as the Rev. Mark Manning said minutes before, the family was not alone in their grief.

Nearly 700 friends and community members packed into Wahpeton's National Guard Armory to join the family in mourning Kuehl.

Kuehl was killed May 22 in Iraq by an improvised explosive device that detonated near his unit. He had been six weeks into his second tour of duty there.

"There was hardly a day I'm sure that while in Iraq David did not dream and think and hope for the wide open reach of the Red River Valley once again . . . and the closeness of family and friends that he loved so much," said Manning, pastor of Breckenridge (Minn.) Lutheran Church.

Army Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale spoke to the assembly about Kuehl's loyalty and love for the Army and those he served with.

"He had high moral values, an honest man, and one of great integrity," McHale said, sharing memories he'd heard from Kuehl's fellow soldiers. "He led from the front and by personal example. He would do everything first before his soldiers did."

McHale presented Kuehl's family with posthumous honors for the soldier - including the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven and Rep. Earl Pomeroy also were in attendance to share in the family's mourning.

Each presented the family with a flag - a North Dakota flag and a U.S. flag, respectively - to show the government's gratitude for Kuehl's service.

"David dedicated his life to the defense of this country even to the point of losing his life," Hoeven said. "David left hearth and home; he left loved ones and friends to help preserve the liberty, the dignity and security of others."

"David put himself in harm's way and gave his life to something larger than himself."

As Kuehl's casket was escorted from the armory, a breeze of tears and sniffles echoed through the silent hall, resonating how deep Kuhel's absence will be felt by his loved ones.