Fallen Soldier Ivan Lechowich Buried at Serenity Meadows Memorial Park

As ombudsman of the Hillsborough County Veterans Council, and a Vietnam veteran, Dave Braun is no stranger to military funerals, burials, recognitions and celebrations, as well as to other patriotic events and fundraisers.

A former honorary mayor of Brandon, Braun said he was at Serenity Meadows Memorial Park on Oct. 15 to pay tribute, first and foremost as a private citizen and fellow American, to the life and death of Army 1st lt. Ivan Lechowich.

“I am happy to see all due respects paid,” Braun said. “Whenever we lose our fellow Americans like this, it’s sad. But, you know what? It’s going to happen, it’s inevitable. We’re still in the two longest-running wars in American history.”

The 27-year-old Lechowich was killed in Afghanistan on Sept. 28 when the truck he was riding in struck an improvised explosive device, killing Lechowich, his gunner and his driver. Lechowich was assigned to the 515th Sapper Company as a platoon leader and deployed to Afghanistan in April.

“I met his grandfather yesterday, and I gave him a big hug,” Braun said. “I told him, ‘All I can say is, I know how you’re feeling but I really don’t.’ In my mind, I think of my children and grandchildren and how it could have been one of them.”

One thing is certain, Braun added: “Their son will not be forgotten. He’s now a veteran, and every day, and every Memorial Day, he will be remembered.”

Burial at Serenity Meadows followed a packed funeral service at St. Stephen Catholic Church in Valrico. The Mass, covered by the Bloomingdale Patch, was celebrated by Lechowich’s pastor, the Rev. William Swengros, who also married Lechowich and his wife, Jen, last November. The couple’s 3-week-old daughter attended both the funeral and the burial.

Also in attendance at the burial were representatives of the Patriot Guard Riders and Little Hometown Soldiers, a group of kids from St. Petersburg who  “reach out to kids whose parents and loved ones are away at war,” according to the group’s president, Elaine Hopkins.

Standing among the mourners, too, was Hillsborough County Commissioner Al Higginbotham, who said he has not missed a soldier’s funeral  since taking office in 2006.

“This is my duty,” he said. “I feel like this, young men and women are willing to go out and sacrifice their lives to allow us as public and private citizens to do what we do, it’s the least I can do to come out and pay my respects to them and their families.”

RELATED COVERAGE:

• Farewell for a Fallen Soldier: Community Honors 1st Lt. Ivan Lechowich
• Family Recalls Bloomingdale Soldier's Life, Accomplishments
• Escort for Fallen Soldier To Run Through Brandon (Oct. 13)
• Emotional Crowd Pays Respects to Fallen Soldier Along Brandon Blvd.
• Valrico Soldier, New Dad, Ivan Lechowich Dies in Afghanistan
• Funeral Plans Announced for Valrico Soldier Killed in Afghanistan