RELEASED BY:Lt Col. Greg Hapgood

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
OFFICE:   (515) 252-4582
CELL:       (515) 971-6385
HOME:     (515) 986-5725

JOHNSTON, IOWA…
 

FUNERAL SERVICES SCHEDULED FOR ALDEN, IOWA SOLDIER
 

Funeral services have been scheduled for Alden, Iowa native Staff Sgt. Mark Wall, 27. Wall, an active duty Army Soldier, died April 27, after collapsing at the Forward Operating Base Marez dining facility in Mosul, Iraq. He was evacuated to the U.S. Army’s 47th Combat Support Hospital for treatment, but was pronounced dead at the hospital, near Bayji, Iraq.
 

Funeral services are scheduled as follows:
 

Visitation will be held from 2-8 p.m. on Friday, May 05, at Surls Funeral Home, 505 Stevens St., Iowa Falls.
 

The funeral service, with military honors, will be held Saturday, May 6, at 10:30 a.m., at the United Methodist Church, 1512 Hardin St., Alden. Staff Sgt. Wall will be interred at the Alden Cemetery, across from the church.
 

Wall was born April 11, 1979, son of Arthur M. Wall and Helen J. DeWitt Wall in Iowa Falls, Iowa. He was raised near Alden, graduating in 1997 from Alden Community High School. He participated in basketball, football, track, chorus, and band.
 

Wall joined the Iowa Army National Guard’s Company C, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, Iowa Falls, in February 1997. He attended classes at Ellsworth Community College in Agriculture Business and worked as an electrician's helper until joining the U.S. Army in May 2000.
 

At the time of his death, Wall was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, based at Ft. Wainwright, Alaska. He deployed to Iraq in August 2005 and served near Mosul at Forward Operating Base Courage.
 

Wall is survived by his parents, Arthur and Helen Wall; two brothers, Tony Wall and James Wall, both of Alden; sister Carissa Meierdierks and her husband, Eric, of Bloomington, Minn.; and two nieces and a nephew.
 

The Wall family has issued the following statement:
 

“The family wishes to express their thanks and appreciation for the many acts of kindness and caring that have been given to them in this extremely difficult time. The love and prayers given to us by his friends have supported us. The family requests their privacy and grief be respected as they celebrate Mark’s life and lay him to rest.
 

“Wall was proud to serve his country and held in high respect the values of duty, honor, and country. He was a loyal friend, and loving son, brother, and uncle. He took advantage of the many opportunities an Army career presented to him. He assumed responsibility to guide and protect each soldier that he was privileged to know and lead. He enjoyed life and sharing his enthusiasm for it with family, friends, and comrades.”
 

Arthur & Helen Wall and family
 

-Media Information for Visitation and Funeral-
 

Media still images will be available from Eldon Lindsay, a photographer from the Iowa Falls Times-Citizen. His number is (641) 648-2521. For additional information, contact Kent Thompson at the Times-Citizen. The family requests all other media keep to a respectful distance.
 

Per the family’s wishes, no media access will be granted at the visitation, funeral, or burial, and no recording devices or cameras will be allowed on the grounds of the United Methodist Church or Alden Cemetery during the respective services. Media queries may be directed to Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood at (515) 252-4582 (office), (515) 971-6385 (cell) or (515) 986-5725 (home), or Master Sgt. Duff E. McFadden, at (515) 252-4666 (office), (515) 480-7647 (cell), or (515) 251-7335 (home).

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