Private First Class William Thorne, 26, died Aug. 24 near Baghdad, Iraq, when the Humvee he was driving ran over an improvised explosive device.
Thorne, a scout with the 4th Infantry Division 1-10 Calvary, was a member of Hospers (Iowa) Christian Reformed Church, where he made his public profession of faith in 2001. Thorne’s wife, Corey, also serves in the United States Army.
“He tended to be kind of shy,” recalled Rev. Duane Tinklenberg, pastor of Hospers CRC. “But when he took a pen in hand or a typewriter or a computer, he could wax quite eloquent.”
“He trusted the Lord, and the Lord had a plan for his life; whatever it was he would accept that,” said Tinklenberg.
—Sherry Kooiker
