Sgt. 1st Class Kenneth Westbrook made the ultimate sacrifice, he died October 7th at Walter Reed Hospital. Westbrook is a former Ft. Carson soldier and was injured while on duty in Afghanistan.

With just a month left on his deployment, Westbrook was already filling out his retirement paperwork. His wife, Charlene, told 11 News it was a dream come true to serve his country.

The Westbrook family is mourning the loss of a husband and father. "He fought, he fought so hard to stay with us,” said Charlene Westbrook, Kenneth’s wife. "This is unreal, is this really happening?"

Her husband was being taken to Walter Reed hospital to be treated for his injuries. Sadly, about a month after the attack, Westbrook lost his life. "I said its okay honey, you can go be with Jesus now, I said ‘me and the boys will be fine,’" said Charlene. "I just held him and just hugged him, kissed him. And just put my ear to his heart and just heard the last beat."

Kenneth Westbrook was a well decorated soldier. He served in the Persian Gulf in 1991, along with two tours in Iraq and 11 months of a one year deployment to Afghanistan.

Saturday, the last of Westbrook’s belongings were delivered to his home in Fountain. The family also received a gift, a new yard. In April, Charlene placed a wish on the website wishuponahero.com. She wanted Kenneth to come home to a new backyard.

"My heart goes out to her, I told her that her husband is a hero," said Mike Premer. He showed up at the Westbrook home along with nearly 20 other volunteers from all over Colorado to grant Charlene's wish.

"This was a small thing that I could do to help her our a little bit and hopefully make her life a little bit easier," said Premer.

"Its bittersweet, but its something he wanted," said Charlene.

Kenneth and Charlene met when they were just teenagers. She spent their 22nd wedding anniversary at a memorial service for Kenneth on October 20th. Westbrook leaves behind his wife and three sons. He was last assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas. His family lives here in southern Colorado.