Family, friends honor fallen Opelika soldier

To his brothers and sisters in arms, Adrian L. Avila was a comrade and fellow serviceman.

To Ruben Avila and Donna Lawson, he was their son.

Both groups, along with dozens of friends, gathered at Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home Thursday to pay tribute to Avila, 19, who died Oct. 29 of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related accident while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom in Kuwait.

The fact that her son opted to serve in the U.S. Army is something Lawson said was indicative of his sense of self-sacrifice.

“He always cared more for others than he did for himself,” Lawson said. “He had a hard life, but he wasn’t going to let anyone bring him down. All he wanted to do is serve his country, make something of himself and do the right thing.”

These were goals U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class James Dunkley said Avila accomplished in his short life.

“If there was one soldier you could always call on and depend on, Spc. Avila was that soldier,” Dunkley said as he stood near Avila’s flag-draped coffin.

Sgt. Bernard Murray, who recruited Avila a couple of years ago, agreed.

“He (Avila) had a true sense of patriotism,” Murray added.

While some remember him as a soldier and son, Kevin Danford said he’ll remember Avila as a friend who had a passion for the Army and loved to work on his car in his spare time.

“He was always in a good mood,” said Danford, who had been friends with Avila for about five years. “You never saw him without a smile on his face.”

Avila will be interred Friday at Fort Benning (Ga.) Cemetery.