The tragic news of Tom's Son was a devastating shock to all who is involved at Hallett and was indeed a tragedy and a great loss to this country. As Tom and family will miss his Son, we at Hallett also miss having Tom around the track. His wit, professionalism and his mere presence was an inspiration to many of us.

Georgia - An Army soldier from Sand Springs, Ok. who made it home safely from combat in Iraq has died in a traffic accident near the Georgia base where he was stationed.

Cpl. Eric Wozencraft, 20, died Sept. 5 2006 in a Savannah hospital, nine days after a minivan collided with the motorcycle he was riding on a highway a few miles from Fort Stewart.

Wozencraft's father, Tom Wozencraft, said his son was wearing a helmet and protective vest and was traveling 10 mph under the speed limit and had the right of way. The soldier suffered a severe brain injury.

"When you talk about a man who did nothing wrong, who was in outstanding physical condition, who was outstanding in the Army, who survived in Iraq, to be stopped by a minivan, that is a tragedy," said Tom Wozencraft, who lives in the Tulsa suburb with his wife -- and Eric Wozencraft's mother -- Nancy Wozencraft.

"It's a tragedy for us and it's a tragedy for the United States."

Eric Wozencraft was a squad leader for a mortar platoon at Fort Stewart, where he was attached to the Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armored Regiment, 1st Brigade of the 3rd Infantry Division.

He was born in Shawnee and attended Charles Page High School in Sand Springs for three years before transferring to a school in West Chester, Ohio. He graduated from high school in 2004 and joined the Army that November, his father said.

He left for Iraq in April 2005 -- where his father said he served as a Humvee turret gunner -- and returned to the U.S. on Dec. 30.

Tom Wozencraft said his son called every two weeks while in Iraq.

"He really was excited when he talked to us," Tom Wozencraft said. "It made him feel good to talk to us, and it made us feel good to know he was safe. We fed off each other in this way."

Eric Wozencraft's funeral mass will be held Wednesday morning in Tulsa. He will be buried at Calvary Cemetery in Tulsa.

http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9827460/detail.html - Posted September 12, 2006