Aug. 7, 2007 — Seven months after he died in a helicopter shot down over Iraq, Sgt. First Class Floyd E. Lake Sr. will be honored Friday when a warehouse building is named in his honor.
The building is the U.S. Property and Fiscal Office (USPFO) warehouse in Estate Bethlehem on St. Croix. The adjutant general of the Virgin Islands, Brigadier General Renaldo Rivera, will preside over the dedication and renaming ceremony, according to a news release from the V.I. National Guard.
“Thirteen military personnel on board a UH60 Black Hawk helicopter died when it was struck by enemy fire and crashed, causing the death of all crew members and passengers,” the release said. “On board were two V.I. guardsmen returning from visiting units in the combat zone,” Lake and Lt. Col. David C. Canegata III.
Lake, 44, a member of the V.I. Army National Guard since 1988, had been on a tour of duty at the National Guard Bureau since 2004. At the time of his death, he was deployed to Baghdad in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
A St. Thomas native living on St. Croix and a father of five, Lake had served as the foreman of the warehouse. He was planning to return to the Virgin Islands after completing his tour at the National Guard Bureau, located in Arlington, Va.
“Lake set himself apart as a soldier of the utmost professionalism and dedication,” said Kristine M. Munn, spokesperson for the National Guard Bureau, according to an article in the Washington Post after Lake’s death. He became responsible for property, accounting for computers, supplies and automation equipment valued at more than $3 million, she said.
On hand to honor Lake Friday will be family members, soldiers, airmen, friends and government officials. The dedication ceremony begins at 10 a.m. and is open to the public. Visitors to the Estate Bethlehem military complex are required to present a picture ID at the gate for access.
Plans are also underway to honor Lt. Col. David C. Canegata III with a facility dedication. Both armories are named for Lt. Col. Lionel Jackson, St. Croix, and Sgt. First Class Leonard Francis, St. Thomas.
After his enlistment in the Army in 1988, Lake served two years as a stock record clerk at Fort Polk, La. Following completion of his regular army tour, he joined the V.I. Army National Guard in 1990. In the Virgin Islands, he served with distinction as the material control and handling supervisor for the 662nd Field Service Company on Saint Thomas. In 1991 he moved from St. Thomas to St. Croix and served as the warehouse foreman at the office of the USPFO.
In 2004, Lake transferred to the National Guard Bureau. He was assigned as the Army National Guard G4 logistics non-commissioned officer at the Army National Guard Readiness Center in Arlington. There he established and implemented the Unit Level Logistics System S-4 that served more than 250 personnel within the G4.
Lake was sent to Baghdad in 2006 to serve as the property book non-commissioned officer for the Army National Guard Bureau Liaison Team in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Lake graduated from Ivanna Eudora Kean High School on St. Thomas in 1984. He completed the following military courses and training: material control and accounting specialist course at the Quartermaster Center and School at Fort Lee, Va., primary leadership development course (PLDC), automated logistical specialist, basic non-commissioned officer course (BNCO), advanced non-commissioned officer course (ANCOC), radiation-protection officer course, central issue facility manager course (CIF) and transportation and storage of hazardous materials course.
Lake was awarded the Army commendation medal, the Army achievement medal, the Army good conduct medal, the national defense service medal, the global war on terrorism service medal, the NCO professional development ribbon with number-three device, the humanitarian service medal and the overseas training ribbon.
Lake is survived by his wife, Linda, and five children: J’Nelle, Floyd Jr., Andre, Keeshawn and Tamile.
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