Burial for West Point grad killed in Afghanistan

Published: March 7, 2011, 3:10 p.m. MST

Carmen Spellman, center, sprinkles water on a container with the remains of her brother 1st Lt. Daren Hidalgo during a graveside service in West Point, N.Y., on Monday, March 7, 2011. Hidalgo, of Waukesha, Wis., and a 2009 graduate of West Point, died Feb Mike Groll, Associated Press

WEST POINT, N.Y. — Family members have said goodbye to a 24-year-old Army officer during a ceremony at West Point, where he, his father and an older brother trained to become Army officers.

First Lt. Daren Hidalgo of Waukesha, Wis., died Feb. 20 in Afghanistan's Kandahar province after insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

Hidalgo was a 2009 West Point graduate. His father graduated from West Point in 1981 and a brother graduated in 2006. Another brother is a captain in the Marines.

A graveside service was held Monday afternoon at West Point under clear, cold skies.

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Hidalgo was assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment in Vilseck, Germany.

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