Army Staff Sgt. Frank J. Gasper

Died May 25, 2008 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

25, of Merced, Calif.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, Fort Carson, Colo.; died May 25 in Najaf, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

Army Staff Sgt. Frank J. Gasper remembered

The Associated Press

After Frank J. Gasper’s wife learned of her husband’s death, she watched a video he had made for family and friends in the event of his death.

The video shows photos of Gasper set to the song “My Infinite Love” by George Strait.

“Basically, the lyrics are whenever you see a shooting star, it’s me,” said his wife, Breanna Gasper. “And if you get a feeling you can’t explain, I want you to know it’s me watching over you.”

Gasper, 25, of Merced, Calif., was killed May 25 in Najaf when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Carson and was on his fourth tour in Iraq.

His wife described her husband as a funny guy who loved telling stories of his time in Iraq, complete with sound effects and gestures. He loved muscle cars, driving big trucks, four-wheeling and going to the shooting range, she said.

Gasper planned to attend Green Berets training, then work for the Drug Enforcement Agency after leaving the Army, his wife said.

In their last conversation, “He told me that he loved me, I told him that I was proud of him,” Breanna Gasper said.