LEXINGTON, Va. (AP) — A former Virginia Military Institute was among 18 soldiers killed in Afghanistan who were honored by President Barack Obama as their bodies returned to the U.S.
Army Sgt. Dale R. Griffin from Terre Haute, Ind., attended the Lexington school for three semesters in 2000 and 2001, where he made a mark as a wrestler.
As a freshman, Griffin won his weight class in the 2000 All-Academy Wrestling Championship and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.
His wrestling coach, John Trudgeon, said Thursday he remembers Griffin as someone with a lot of potential. He says Griffin was "soft-spoken, but he was very confident."
Obama witnessed the return of Griffin's and the others' flag-covered cases as they arrived Thursday at Dover Air force Base in Delaware.
