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Slain Fort Bragg Soldier's Battalion To Hold Memorial Service

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RALEIGH, N.C. — Troops plan to hold a memorial for a Fort Bragg soldier killed this weekend while home on leave.

Fellow soldiers plan to remember 28-year-old Sgt. Ronna R. Valentine, a member of the 327th Signal Battalion of the 35th Signal Brigade, at Camp Victory in Iraq.

Fayetteville police believe Valentine's husband, James Valentine, 42, shot his wife, then himself at their apartment Saturday afternoon.

Officers said Valentine returned from Iraq just hours before the shooting.

Her commander described her as a go-getter who always wanted to do the best job possible. He also said her loss is devastating to the unit.

"All of the soldiers in the motor pool, where she worked, looked up to her and wanted to be like her, a selfless and dedicated leader," said Lt. Col. Chuck Gabrielson, commander of the 327th Signal Battalion.

Valentine, who joined the Army in 1997 and was deployed to Iraq in November, was an equipment records and parts specialist for an airborne communications unit.

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