HOMERVILLE, GA, USA U.S. Army SGT, TROOP A, 3D SQUADRON, 7TH CAVALRY, FORT STEWART, GA BAGHDAD, IRAQ 07/06/2007
Soldiers understand each other. So do brothers. Gene’s brother, who was also on duty in Iraq, noted that some people are born to be carpenters, lawyers or preachers, but Gene Lamie was born to be a soldier. He believed in everything he did and grew up with a soldier’s heart. Gene would remind his brother that they were soldiers and were meant to be doing what they were doing.
Sergeant Gene Lamie, who enlisted in the Army before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, came home on leave afterward and told his family he was going to the war with the 1st Cavalry Division. He later re-enlisted solely to transfer to the 3rd Infantry Division and go back to Iraq.
SSG Lamie was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia. He and another soldier died in Iraq on July 6, 2007 in Iraq of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
Gene loved to hunt and fish and was a big fan of Nextel Cup driver Tony Stewart and the Georgia Bulldogs. He liked to set his 8-month-old son, Gene Benjamin, on his lap and pretend to cast and reel in fish, or to tell his son that Tony needed their help that day during his race.
The Lamie family had moved to Homerville from Folkston a few years earlier to shorten the commute to Douglas, where SSG Lamie’s father had transferred to another job. Although the family was relatively new to Homerville, their new community rallied around them with support. In addition to his Army-brother, he was supported by his parents, friends and family who shared their pride for Gene’s life and contribution to the Army and his country. Gene’s family of support also includes his sister and her daughter. Gene was a very special uncle to his niece. He was also supported by his wife Dara Lamie of Fort Stewart; a 3-year-old daughter, Lyrean; and a son, Gene Benjamin.
Sergeant Lamie is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia. As his brother Georgia National Guard Specialist John says: “It’s a house of heroes. He deserves to be there.”
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