About 1,500 people attended a memorial service for Troy Orion Tom, a 21-year-old soldier from the Navajo Nation who was killed in Afghanistan last week.

Tom joined the U.S. Army in June 2006 after finishing high school. He was killed August 18 by a roadside bomb.

"Sgt. Troy was a son, a brother, a friend to so many," said Brig. Gen. Kurt Story, The Farmington Daily Times reported. "Troy was an American soldier. He was a member of a team who served the people of the United States selflessly, and he exemplified all the Army values."

Tom is the ninth Navajo soldier to die either Afghanistan or Iraq since 2004.

Get the Story:
Final salute: About 1,500 mourners gather for soldier's memorial service (The Farmington Daily Times 8/27)

Related Stories:
Editorial: Final salute to Navajo Nation soldier (8/26)
Navajo Nation soldier, 21, killed in Afghanistan (8/25)