Bismarck, ND – The parents of New Salem soldier 20-year-old Specialist Dennis Ferderer Junior, who was killed in Iraq on Wednesday say they could not be more proud of him, even though it hurts. The army soldier, known as D-J , died when a hand grenade was thrown at the humvee he was driving in Iraq. Dennis Senior and Dina Ferderer say their son always knew he would serve in the army.
D-J Ferderer grew up on a dairy farm northwest of New Salem. He and his older brother, John, both knew they wanted to join the armed forces. John joined the Air Force and D-J the army. Dennis Senior says D-J wanted to be a soldier all his life
In fact, DJ told me once he's done with his tour in Iraq, if they'd ask him to go to Afghanistan, he would go. He wanted to make a career out of it twenty or thirty years would be no problem.
D-J graduated from high school in May of 2003 and joined the army a month later. He served with the Third Infantry Division out of Fort Benning, Georgia. His tour in Iraq would have been completed this upcoming January. D-J's mother, Dina, says this is what he wanted and it's been his dream to be in the army
As a parent, yes, it hurts it hurts to see him go overseas. And you pray so hard that they're going to come back. But DJ told me when he was home in September he said mom, when my day has come, I am so ready.' And he told us that everyday he went out, he told himself this could be my day this could be my last day.
Dina says when D-J was home on leave in September, he told her that even though many people don't understand why the U-S is fighting the war in Iraq, he knew he was doing the right thing by being over there
He said, you look into the eyes of these people that don't want all of this bad stuff they want the good things.' And he said, That puts the adrenaline in me because we've had freedom for so many years they deserve the same freedom we do.' He said, we are doing so much good I hope for the generations to come that they will see the peace that I have had.'
John says his brother always kept life interesting. He says D-J was the overachiever in the family
He was fun to be around. He was one of those people if it was a dull moment, he would find a way to fix that problem.
John says he was proud of his brother for serving in Iraq. John was scheduled to deploy to Iraq next month he says he was looking forward to possibly crossing paths with his brother but those plans have changed. John's deployment has now been cancelled. Funeral plans for D-J are still pending. D-J would have been 21-years-old on January 3rd.