His Star Has Turned From Blue to Gold

Soldier from Hampton dies in insurgent bomb blast


Tony Wilson knew Todd W. Weaver for about five years.

Weaver and his wife, Emma, would dine about twice a week at the Green Leafe Cafe in Williamsburg, where Wilson is the general manager. The couple would order a few appetizers, eat, laugh and enjoy each other's company, Wilson remembered Friday.

"They'd spend an hour there, then off they would go. Where ver he was, Emma was."

Now, all friends and family have of Weaver are the memories. Weaver, a first lieutenant in the Army and a native of Hampton, died Thursday in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds he suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Weaver, 26, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky. He leaves behind a wife and daughter.

Weaver graduated from Bruton High School in York County and attended the College of William and Mary, where he was a cadet in ROTC. He joined the Army National Guard, then served a 10-month deployment in Iraq in 2004, according to a news article on the college's website.

In 2008, Weaver received his bachelor's degree in government and was inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. He was commissioned into the U.S. Army through William and Mary's ROTC program.

"Todd was an exceptional person," William and Mary spokesman Brian Whitson said in a statement. "While a student, he was a star as a cadet in the ROTC and very well-known by many on campus."

Friends said that Weaver had a fun side to him - k araoke, for example. "It was good," Tony Wilson said. "We got him to sing and everything."

But still, Wilson said, the good times and memories don't stop the pain of losing a friend whom he described as focused, outstanding and fair-minded.

"I think he had the most incredibly pure spirit. He was the embodiment of truth, courage and leadership."

By Jennifer Jiggetts
The Virginian-Pilot

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May Almighty God Bless this brave Warrior and may God comfort his family.