Eric M. SSgt. Nettleton

Nettleton, SSgt. Eric M., 26, United States Army, died serving his country, Wednesday, January 5, 2011. Visitation with the family will be 2:00 ~ 4:00 p.m., Sunday, January 16 at Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Rosary will be 7:00 p.m., Monday, January 17 with Funeral Mass 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 18, both at All Saints Catholic Church. Eric was born and raised in Wichita. He attended All Saints Catholic School, Hamilton Middle School and graduated from Wichita High School West. The attacks of 9/11 inspired Eric to join the Army. He went through basic training at Ft. Benning, GA and then was assigned to the 82nd Airborne out of Ft. Bragg, NC. He was then deployed to Afghanistan to guard the countrys first elections. When he came home he was assigned at West Point as a member of the Honor Guard and Color Guard. He then requested to be stationed at Ft. Riley to be closer to his family. In September 2008, he was deployed to Iraq with the Big Red 1, returning home in September 2009. One month after marrying Ashley Reida, they were stationed in Vilseck, Germany. He signed a waiver to be deployed early to Afghanistan, so that he could be with his squad. From June 2010 until his death, Eric was with the Stryker Unit. Eric is survived by his wife, Ashley, parents, Jim and Sandy Nettleton, sister, Jessica Nettleton and brother, Clayton Nettleton, all of Wichita; sister, Sarah Nettleton of Newton, KS; mother and father-in-law, Virgie and Clinton Scott of Wichita. Memorials have been established with Wounded Warriors, 7020 A C Skinner Pkwy, S-100, Jacksonville, FL, 32256, Fisher House, 111 Rockville Pike, S-420, Rockville, MD, 20850 and Operation Freedom, P.O. Box 785414, Wichita, KS, 67278. Visitation with the family will be 2:00 ~ 4:00 p.m., Sunday, January 16 at Downing Lahey Mortuary East. Rosary will be 7:00 p.m., Monday, January 17 with Funeral Mass 10:00 a.m., Tuesday, January 18, both at All Saints Catholic Church.