The Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity held a candlelight vigil for 1st Lt. Ken Ballard on Monday.
Ballard, 26, died on May 30 from wounds suffered in heavy fighting in Najaf, Iraq. He was also a 2002 graduate of MTSU, and an enlisted man in the Army since 1995.
"In some ways, it is fitting that we lost Ken on Memorial Day [weekend] and are remembering him the day after the 60th anniversary of the Normandy D-Day invasion," MTSU professor Anne Sloan said.
"Ken had the same spirit and attitude of those men from back then," she said.
Sloan was one of several people to make statements at the memorial service.
"As his adviser for four years, I saw Ken's leadership potential first-hand," she said.
Another person who spoke at the service was Lt. Larry Parlow.
"We had the same major, so we ended up having many of the same classes together," he said. "That also meant we spent countless hours of sitting in or sleeping during classes in Peck Hall or Forest Hall," he said.
Parlow read some e-mails from visitors to the Web site that Ken's mom, Karen, created to remember her son.
He noted that there were many e-mails from people who didn't even know Ken, but wanted to share their sorrow with the family.
One e-mail was from Lt. Patrick Taylor, another MTSU ROTC member who graduated a year ahead of Ballard and Parlow. He wrote his e-mail directly to Ken.
"You were a great roommate, and I am a better man for having known you," he said.
"I know that I can look up and there will always be an Armor Moose looking down from heaven at us," he said, referring to Ken's personal e-mail address.
The candlelight vigil was attended by current members of Sigma Phi Epsilon and many soldiers from the Army. Since Ken Ballard died as a soldier of the U.S. military, "Taps" was played at the end of the service.
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