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Funeral for medic hurt in Afghanistan accident

The funeral for a 24-year-old Army medic who died from injuries he sustained while serving in Afghanistan was held Friday in Rockford.
AP Wire
rockford
Dec 1, 2012
From Zachary Shanafelt's Facebook page

Spc. Zachary Shanafelt of Grand Rapids was hurt in an accident last year and died Nov. 21 at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington.

During Friday's funeral service, a fellow soldier, Army Spec. Nick Sanders, remembered Shanafelt as someone who "took your mind off war." Sanders told mourners that his friend "saved countless lives" while they were deployed "and kept us light on our feet."

Shanafelt's survivors include his wife, Marina; their 13-month-old son, Daniel; his parents, Patrick and Gloria Shanafelt; and brothers, Christopher and Silas Shanafelt.

Shanafelt was a 2006 graduate of Creston High School and enlisted in 2009. He served five months in Afghanistan before he suffered the injury.

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