Ambushed Soldier's Journey Ends at Arlington Cemetery

Cpl. Joseph John Anzack Jr., one of three soldiers abducted in Iraq during an ambush that took the lives of four U.S. soldiers and an Iraqi interpreter last month, was buried yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery.

Anzack, 20, of Torrance, Calif., was found floating in the Euphrates River 11 days after the ambush in Al Taqa, several miles from the ambush site.

The attack marked the second time in recent months that Anzack's family feared the worst for him, following a previous scare when a rumor circulated that he had been killed in Iraq. Some friends even posted a sign outside Anzack's high school that read: "In Loving Memory -- Joe Anzack -- Class of 2005," according to the Los Angeles Times. The paper said Anzack dispelled the rumor by calling home.

His family wasn't so fortunate this time.

"They told us, 'We're sorry to inform you the body we found has been identified as Joe,' " Debbie Anzack, his aunt, told the Associated Press. "I'm in disbelief."

After being notified that Anzack's body had been found, the family held a prayer service with an Army chaplain.

"We said a prayer for the other two boys, then sat around and talked about Joseph," Joseph Anzack Sr. told his hometown paper, the Daily Breeze.

He told the paper that the family would honor Anzack's wishes to be buried at Arlington.

"Whatever his wishes were, that's what we'll do," he said. "If he asked for Arlington, he's there. I think that's an option for us, and it's an honor being there."

Yesterday, two weeks after Anzack's body was discovered, more than 30 mourners gathered at Arlington to pay their respects to the soldier. They stood, holding onto one another, rubbing each other's backs for comfort, as a seven-member rifle party fired three-shot volleys in salute. His parents received folded American flags, after which Anzack's mother, Theresa, buried her face in another woman's shoulder.

At the end of the service, his parents took turns walking up to the coffin, leaning in closely to share a private moment with their son. His father knelt with his head bowed and rested his hand on the coffin for a long moment before his mother followed suit.

Last Friday, hundreds of mourners filled South High School in Torrance for a memorial for Anzack. He was described by friends as a fun guy who could also be a comfort when you needed him, according to the Associated Press. He played nose guard for South's varsity football team, according to the Daily Breeze.

"If I was in the Army, I'd want Joe Anzack next to me," Josh Waybright, coach of the football team, told the Daily News in Los Angeles. "He put others before himself. That was probably one of his greatest attributes. I don't think you get a better teammate than Joe Anzack."

Anzack was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y. He was the 343rd military member killed in Iraq to be buried at Arlington.

U.S. and Iraqi troops continue to search for the other missing soldiers, Spc. Alex R. Jimenez, 25, of Lawrence, Mass., and Pvt. Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich.