Coming home. Soldiers carry the casket bearing the body of 2nd Lt. Zaldy Lapis to a funeral Mass. Contributed photo
FORT RAMON MAGSAYSAY, Palayan City – The body of a young military officer killed in an encounter with New People’s Army rebels in Abra was flown back to his family Wednesday.
The 7th Infantry Division public affairs office here said 2Lt. Zaldy Lapis was earlier honored in a funeral Mass at the St. Joseph The Worker Parish in this military camp on Tuesday.
Lapis, a member of the 72nd Division Reconnaissance Company, along with his men were reportedly conducting combat operations when they engaged some 40 members of the NPA’s Kilusang Larangang Gerilya-North Abra in a firefight on Jan. 4.
Hailed as a “fallen hero” the 7ID, Lapis was brought to his hometown of Dingle, Iloilo where he was laid to rest, said the army.
“Your ultimate sacrifice will not be forgotten, instead, it will be our inspiration to fight until we have achievedthe peace that we all long for,” the 7ID said in a message as it expressed condolences to the soldier’s family.
