ELWOOD, Ill. (AP) – A soldier who suffered catastrophic injuries while serving in Iraq in 2004 has died and been laid to rest in northern Illinois with full military honors. Former U.S. Army Sgt. Joel Gomez died on Nov. 22 after developing pneumonia and kidney problems. The 42-year-old Wheaton man, who had been living with quadriplegia since his wartime injury, was buried Tuesday at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood. The Chicago Tribune reports Gomez has become one of more than 4,400 U.S. military members who have died from injuries suffered during the Iraq war. His spine was broken in two places in 2004 during a combat mission.
