BOUNTIFUL — Army Spc. Lex Nelson never wanted to be a hero.

He never sought the spotlight or yearned for attention.

He just wanted to do his job.

"He was content just being himself, but Lex was a hero, and we all know that," said his sister, Laura Arias.

Now Nelson's name will forever be immortalized with the names of the thousands of other soldiers who fought for the cause of freedom.

Friends and family gathered Monday to remember Nelson, a 21-year-old who died Dec. 12 in a fall from a guard tower at the base where he was stationed in Tikrit, Iraq.

He will be buried today in Wyoming's Star Valley in the town of Auburn, a small farming community where his mother, stepmother and baby brother are buried.

The military is currently investigating what caused the fall that ultimately led to Nelson's death. He had just finished watch duty at 9 p.m. when another soldier relieved him on the watch tower. His body was found at 9:04 p.m.

"It's a complete mystery," said his aunt, Maxine Hepworth-Taylor. "No witnesses, nothing.

Nobody knows what really happened."

Col. Bryce Holbrook, an LDS chaplain for the Army's 96th Regional Readiness Command, said Nelson's sacrifice will forever change the face of the world.

"Iraq will never be the same, and their course will have a completely new story for a generation not yet born," Holbrook said. "We honor your brave warrior by not forgetting him. We honor him by not taking for granted what he did for us."

In his last e-mail home, Nelson wrote about his anticipated visit home. He had expected to be on a convoy out of Iraq on Dec. 29, about a year after he deployed to the Middle East. He would fly to the United States Jan. 2 and expected to be on leave back in the family home around the middle of that month.

"From there it's smooth sailing to the house," he wrote. "All things considered, life is good and grand to all that walk in the light. The light is good in the way of the Spirit, and the strength of the Lord is on your side."

Nelson was the eighth of 15 children.

One of his sisters, Amber Watts, changed the words to the song "Wind Beneath My Wings" to honor her brother at Monday's funeral:

Then all that you've done was not unnoticed. We've got it all here in our hearts. You need to know we know the truth. Freedom would die if not for you.

Did you ever know that you're our hero? And everything we would like to be. Freedom will fly just like our eagle. But you are the wind beneath its wings.

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E-MAIL: ldethman@desnews.com