Soldier from Hunter laid to rest in Florida, died in Afghanistan on October 1

An Army Ranger who was based at Hunter Army Airfield for the last five years and who was killed in Afghanistan, was laid to rest in his native Florida on Friday.

Sgt. Roberto Daniel Sanchez, 24, was killed in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan on October 1, while serving with Company B, First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, which is based at Hunter (in Savannah.)

Sanchez was on his fifth deployment, with three previous deployments to Iraq and one to Afghanistan. 

A story from WESH-TV in Orlando quotes Col. Brian Mennes, First Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment Battalion commander as saying “Sgt. Sanchez was the quintessential Ranger, enthusiastic, smart, loyal to his mission, his country and his friends. He led with distinction and would want us to continue supporting the efforts for which he so humbly and selfishly dedicated his life.“

Sanchez enlisted in the Army after graduating from Satellite Senior High School in Satellite Beach, Florida. According to WESH, the young soldier is survived by his parents 1st Sgt. Will and Wendy Holland and brothers Jacob Goldberg and Logan Holland, of Hendersonville, Tenn., and maternal grandparents James and Mary Wilson, of Ocala, Florida.