Injured soldier to be honored Sunday
Wanda English Burnett - Editor

A service has been planned to honor Staff Sergeant Roy Mithcell, who was injured in a land mine incident in Afghanistan last November.

"We are planning a patriotic service this Sunday, September 19, at 10:00 a.m. to honor Roy," noted Pastor Bruce Fitzsimmons of the Washington Baptist Church at Elrod.

He noted that Mitchell, who is a member of the church at Elrod, is home now, after months of being hospitalized from his injuries.

When the incident first occurred, it was published in The Versailles Republican on November 27, that Staff Sgt. Mitchell has sustained burns to his face, neck and back, and had his left leg amputated after the vehicle he was in hit a land mine.

The soldier was on patrol near the Pakistani border when the incident occurred on November 23, 2003. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment.

His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Roy Mitchell Sr., of Sunman, visited him while he was in the Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, DC, along with his wife Michelle and sons Zac and Jerrect.

The public is invited to attend the service on Sunday that has been planned to honor the soldier's service and to show support for those who are still in harm's way in Iraq and surrounding areas.