Soldier Killed by Tick Bite Laid to Rest
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Updated: 10:40 PM Sep 26, 2009
Soldier Killed by Tick Bite Laid to Rest
An army soldier that died from a tick bite was laid to rest today in Covington County.
Posted: 9:33 PM Sep 26, 2009
Reporter: Lisa Blackwell
Email Address: lisa@wtvy.com
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An army soldier that died from a tick bite was laid to rest today in Covington County.

22-year old Sgt. E-5 Robert David Gordon II, of River Falls, Alabama, died Wednesday in Landstuhl, Germany, after succumbing to a virus he contracted after being bitten by a tick while serving in Afghanistan.

Over one hundred people lined Highway 84 West to pay final respects by waving signs and flags.

Gordon was laid to rest at New Home Baptist Church.

The Honor Guard was made up soldiers from Fort Rucker.

Doctors determined Gordon contracted the rare Crymean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever virus, which has been recorded in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

According to the World Health Organization’s web site, the mortality rate for the CCHF virus is 30 percent.

Gordon may have been the first U.S. soldier to contract the virus in Afghanistan.

Military personnel in Afghanistan are now checking daily for ticks.


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