FORT BENNING — A building at Fort Benning has been dedicated to the first female U.S. soldier
killed during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The parents and children of Spc. Lori A. Piestewa par-
ticipated in the ceremony on Wednesday dedicating the Directorate of Training Sustainment headquarters as Piestewa Hall, the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer reported.
“We miss her and love her. She is always in our hearts,” said the fallen soldier’s mother, Percy Piestewa. “It’s very humbling to be here, to know that these people are recognizing her. The whole world in different places continues to recognize what she has done for her country.”
The soldier’s father, Terry Piestewa, and children Brandon and Carla also joined more than 100 military, civilian and community leaders for the dedication.
The building serves as headquarters to provide support for training armor and infantry soldiers.
The 23-year-old Lori Piestewa, a member of the Hopi tribe, was a native of Tuba City, Ariz.
Piestewa was serving with the 507th Maintenance Company from Fort Bliss, Texas, when her convoy was attacked in Nasiriyah. A rocket-propelled grenade struck the front left wheel of the Humvee she was driving, crashing the vehicle into the rear of a disabled tractor-trailer.
Piestewa and fellow soldiers Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson were injured and were taken captive. Piestewa, who had a head wound, died in an Iraqi hospital.
Scott Fabozzi, the director of the facility, said it was fitting to name the building for a courageous, selfless soldier who specialized in logistics. “She was more concerned about fellow soldiers and the mission that day,” he said
Percy Piestewa described her daughter as happy-go-lucky while growing up in a town on the Navajo Indian Reservation. “She was very athletic. Her thing that we miss the most is her smile. She had an awesome smile and she used it.”