Bartlett grad's body comes home; wake is Friday

The body of Pfc. Matthew Martinek of DeKalb returned home Wednesday, and was escorted by the Patriot Guard Riders from DuPage Airport.

Martinek, 20, a 2007 Bartlett High School grad, died Sept. 11 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany from injuries suffered a week earlier in Afghanistan's Paktika province.

According to a Department of Defense news release, Martinek's vehicle was hit by an roadside bomb. When he and six other soldiers tried to secure the vehicle, it was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade and small-arms fire.

Martinek was a member of the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division based in Fort Richardson, Ala.

According to Maj. Bill Coppernoll of the Army's public affairs office, Martinek joined the service in March 2008 and was deployed to Afghanistan last March.

A 2007 graduate of Bartlett High, Martinek's Facebook profile contained a picture of him in his Army uniform, smiling and flashing a peace sign. A self-professed clown, his favorite quote was listed as, "There is a reason we fall ... to get back up again."

Jacqi Fanella, of Wayne, a Bartlett High School classmate and close friend of Martinek, said he was scheduled to return home in two weeks' time.

His wake is 2-8 p.m. Friday at Ahlgrim and Sons Funeral home, 330 W. Golf Road, in Schaumburg. The funeral is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Hubert's Catholic Church, 729 Grand Canyon Parkway, in Hoffman Estates.