Fort Sill dedicates Medicine Creek Bridge to fallen soldier Second Lt. Tobias Alexander

It was the 20th of May 2012, in the Uruzgan Province in Afghanistan.

Second Lt. Tobias Alexander was just leaving a meeting with Afghan leaders near Tarin Kowt, around 200 miles southwest of Kabul. An insurgent wearing a suicide vest attacked Alexander’s unit and detonated himself. Alexander died, along with Capt. Jesse A. Ozbat.

On Monday, Fort Sill honored Alexander’s service and sacrifice with a highway memorial dedication at Fort Sill’s Hall of Remembrance, 4700 Mow-Way, as well as at Medicine Creek Bridge along Oklahoma 49. In Alexander’s honor, the bridge is now called the Army 2nd Lt. Tobias Alexander Memorial Bridge.

“The Army never forgets,” Garrison Commander Col. Jim Peay IV said during his speech in the Hall of Remembrance. “Once you’re on the team, you’ll always be on the team.”

“Toby did something special to warrant this dedication,” his father Bill Alexander said. “It puts Toby’s name up there for everyone else to see.”

Bill recalled how proud he was “not when he was growing up, but right after 9/11, when he decided to join the Army.” Bill recalled the moment when he, a veteran himself, gave his son his first salute.

Alexander was born in Wesel, East Germany, in 1981, and graduated from Elgin High School in 1999. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 2001 after graduating from Cameron University’s ROTC program.

“He was at the top of his class,” his father Bill remembered. “Not all the way, but he was close. He was selected for military intelligence and passed with flying colors.”

Alexander was assigned to A Battery, 1st Battalion, 14th Field Artillery Regiment, 214th Fires Brigade at Fort Sill. When his son was first deployed to Afghanistan, “he didn’t tell his mother what he’d be doing there,” Bill said.

Alexander’s Battalion Chaplain Michael McGruder, who is now retired, came from Dallas to attend the dedication. He had to notify Alexander’s family that he had been killed in action. After Alexander’s death, McGruder and Alexander’s family kept in touch.

“Toby was a character,” McGruder said with a smile. “He was the life of the party and always wanted to be the center of attention. He always played jokes. He’s leaving a legacy, and he’ll be remembered forever. He went all the way and gave the ultimate sacrifice. Words can’t comprehend this sacrifice.”

For his dedication to his country, Alexander was posthumously awarded with the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star Medal and the NATO Medal, among many others.

“He always wanted to be helpful, even to strangers,” Bill said. “He always tried to make people happy.”

Alexander is survived by his parents, his wife Amanda and his three children: Angelicia, Kevin and Lexie, all of Lawton.

Addressing Alexander’s family, Peay said that, “although Toby was taken from you, we get to remember his strength and dedication.”

Oklahoma state Sen. John Michael Montgomery said that he was part of the ROTC program at Cameron University, along with Alexander.

“Toby was a great person to have in the program,” Montgomery said. “He was tough and a booming encouragement. I can say that without hesitation: He had a great impact in this world.”