wilkes

My heart goes out to all who knew this wonderful, courageous young man. I am sure he touched many lives & will be greatly missed. Thank you for sharing this story with us. Blessings to you all.

I could not have said it any better than Onamission said.
Garner family I'm so sorry for your loss,and so thankful for men and women like him that are not afraid to stand up to the world .
Your memory marches on young man.

A Elkin native ,,,,Bushman

For once, I'm speechless. My hearfelt condolences and gratitude go out to the Garner family. Captain Mark Garner was a hero. My prayers are with his family and to those whose lives he touched.

Sir, I salute you.

Wow what an awesome young man. Thanks for sharing that. Sounds like he never met a stranger and anyone that met him left blessed with having met him.

Prayers are with you at this difficult time and all our military daily.

**bump**

Statement from the family of U.S. Army Capt. Mark Garner, 30, native of
State Road, North Carolina and graduate of Elkin High School and the
United States Military Academy at West Point. Please feel free to
forward this along as needed.

Mark was traveling as a passenger in an M-1151 Humvee with a convoy of
U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal specialists when his vehicle struck
an improvised explosive device killing him and another passenger. Other
occupants of the vehicle traveling in southeast Afghanistan were injured.

We would like to extend our sincere condolences to the families of Mark�s
fallen comrades and the families of the sailors who were injured in the
attack. Know that we will pray for their speedy recovery.

Please be praying for the safety of the nearly 200 soldiers in Mark�s
company currently fighting this difficult fight as well as dealing with
the loss of their company commander. We pray that they will all return
safely to Hohenfels, Germany to be with their families.

As difficult as this is to accept, it is made easier by the thought that
Mark was happy and content as a Soldier. Mark died doing the job he
loved, and we will cherish fond memories of him forever. He was a
dedicated Soldier, and we are very proud of him.

There are no words to express how much Mark will be missed by his family
and friends and the others who had the privilege to know him. His memory
will forever remain in our hearts as people share fond stories of Mark,
many of which include comments about his larger-than-life smile and depth
of character.

Mark loved his family beyond words, especially his parents, Beth and Don,
and his sisters, Jo and Rachel, and often spoke very fondly of his time
growing up in the Elkin area. He loved his family, loved his country,
loved the Army lifestyle and loved exploring new and exciting places.

He enjoyed running and spending time with his fellow Soldiers, but the
two main things he was wild about were his wife and traveling. When
questioned he would say he loved traveling and his wife, and nothing
could be better than traveling with his wife, Nickayla.


He visited 52 countries in the last 12 years, places where most people
never go, such as Indonesia, China, Bulgaria, Transdiniestria and
Albania. Mark loved to drive and explore, so most of his travels were by
car. He had his free-time travel planned out for three years in advance,
but there just was never enough time for all of his ambitious and
exciting travel plans. Although we don�t know anything about his last
few minutes, he was probably talking to the sailors in his convoy about
his travels.

In Elkin and at all his military assignments, including ranger training,
Mark was remembered for his positive attitude and friendly smile.
Everyone enjoyed being around Mark, because he was always happy and was
the ultimate optimist. Although full of confidence, he blushed easily,
especially from Nickayla�s antics, which he loved.

Mark was the commander of Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry
Regiment, stationed in Hohenfels, Germany. His unit�s mission in
Afghanistan was to support the United Nations International Security
Assistance Force as part of Task Force Zabul under the operational
control of the Romanian Army.


The Soldiers in Mark�s company not only patrolled their area of
operations for enemy activity, but also did development work. This
included training and mentoring Afghan National Army and Afghan National
Police, establishing schools and health clinics, distributing food and
farm equipment and helping health care providers treat diseases in adults
and children.

Funeral arrangements have not been completed, but the memorial service
will be held at the First Baptist Church of Elkin, NC and funeral
services will be handled by the Hodges Funeral Home. For information
about the memorial service call Hodges Funeral Home at (336) 526-4460.