R.I.P. Sgt. Albert D. Ware

Army Sgt. Albert D. Ware

27, of Chicago; assigned to the 782nd Combat Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died Dec. 18 in the Arghandab River Valley, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.

(The following is taken from www.dailysentinel.com) Albert D. Ware was no stranger to war. As a scrawny 12-year-old, he came to the United States to escape violence in Liberia, which is why his father, Thomas, got upset when he joined the Army in 2006.

He had played sports — soccer, football and wrestling — as an honors student at Corliss High School near Chicago, and the military made him even more athletic and disciplined.

In time, his family grew proud.

"He was a respectable man," said his stepmother, Anna. "He didn't throw a mean word to anyone. He did something with himself."

The 27-year-old died Dec. 18 in the Arghandab River Valley of wounds from an explosive during his second tour in Afghanistan. He was assigned to Fort Bragg.

He had attended Chicago State University and Kennedy-King College before joining the Army. A colleague, Sgt. Scott Wolfe, said Ware always put fellow soldiers first and worked extra night and weekend hours to make sure they were well equipped for missions.

At home, he enjoyed cooking fufu and other West African dishes.

He and his wife, Plichette, have three children, all younger than 6: T'John, Heaven and Musu. Ware is also survived by his mother and a sister, Ciatta.