Staff Sgt. Nathan Cox, 32, of Davenport, Iowa. Nate attended Davenport Central High School. He joined the Army and served three years in Bosnia in the mid 1990s. He then went to work as a security officer for two years at the Genesis Medical Centers in Davenport before he rejoined the Army when he was 29 and decided to make it a career, serving for a year in Iraq before he was sent to Afghanistan in July 2008. Nathan was E-6 staff sergeant of Viper Company, 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He was very interested in foreign affairs and wanted to help the people in Iraq and Afghanistan. Known as a leader who took the time to listen to his soldiers, he had a magnetic personality that drew people towards him. Nathan married Annie Volrath Madden on July 15, 2005 in Eldridge, Iowa, and he loved to spend time outdoors, cooking for family and friends; sitting quietly with a cup of coffee contemplating life and all it's joys; sports; visiting with friends; just doodeling; as well as being an avid reader and writer. The things that Nate loved and cherished most in life were his family; he was a very devoted son, husband, father, brother and solider. Nathan was also very generous, and during a period in his earlier years he shared a gift of life that he always carried with him in his heart and soul. Staff Sergeant Cox died as a result of a roadside bomb in the Korengal Valley. He received many awards and during his military career, including the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart, posthumous. He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jack Martin Corbett, and Lester and Ava Moore Cox.