This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Funeral services have been set for June 1 in Salem for Army medic Cody Towse, who was killed by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan last week.
Family spokesman Todd Phillips said Towse, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and promoted from private first class to specialist, would be eulogized beginning 11 a.m. at Salem Hills High School. Burial, with full military honors, will follow at Elk Ridge Cemetery.
Towse, 21, initially had been reported missing in action after an explosion in Sanjaray, Afghanistan. However, his family was notified that his death had been confirmed late on May 14.
Towse was beloved by Afghani children as the "Candy Doctor," a nickname he earned by showering the youngsters with gifts of fruit or chocolate.
"He loved the kids," his father, Jim Towse, told The Salt Lake Tribune in a recent interview. "His birthday was May 8, and I asked what he wanted. He told me more candy and a jar of Miracle Whip."
Cody Towse's Afghanistan commander told the family that Towse was treating a soldier injured in an explosion or attack when Towse was killed in a second explosion.
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