By Nate Jones
Staff Writer
 Family and friends were expected to gather earlier this week for a funeral service with military honors for Spc. Justin Buxbaum, a 2004 graduate of South Portland High School, who died in Kushamond, Afghanistan last month.
Army officials said 23-year-old Buxbaum died May 26 of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.
“This has blown up into a much bigger thing than we thought,”  Justin Buxbaum’s grandfather, Donald Buxbaum of Chebeague Island, said. “We thought we just lost a grandson. The country has lost a hero.”
Justin Buxbaum was recruited by the Army during high school and he joined the Army Reserves shortly after graduating, Donald Buxbaum said. After briefly serving with a unit in New Hampshire, Justin Buxbaum was deployed to Iraq for the first time in 2005 and spent about nine months overseas before returning home, where he told his family he was determined to help the Iraqi people.
“He had seen enough that he knew he wanted to get more involved,” Donald Buxbaum said. “He thought with some more training and information he could really help out. He saw we were doing a lot of good over there.”
Justin Buxbaum enlisted in the Army and was stationed for basic training in Fort Hood, Texas. As a General Construction Equipment Operator with the U.S. Army’s 62nd Engineer Battalion of the 36th Engineer Brigade, he was deployed to Iraq a second time in 2005 as part of a unit whose goal was to detect roadside bombs so they could be disarmed.
“He drove what they call a ‘Buffalo:’ a big armored car with special plating on the underside in case an IED blows up underneath it,” his grandfather said. “He said they’d hide [roadside bombs] in dead dogs and all kinds of things. He was right there for it.”
Despite his duties, Donald Buxbaum said Justin Buxbaum seemed positive about his experience when he returned home last summer. It wasn’t until he was deployed to Afghanistan in April that something changed, his grandfather said.
“He didn’t say a lot,” Donald Buxbaum said. “He left me with the feeling that he wasn’t at ease with this deployment as he was the others. I could tell he was frustrated with his inability to do things.”
Through online conversations, Justin Buxbaum described a scenario to his grandfather where his unit could not rescue fellow soldiers who were pinned down by enemy fire.
“He wanted to just arm up and go,” Donald Buxbaum said. “But they had to wait for orders; it was at night and the brass wanted them to wait for daylight.”
Justin Buxbaum, who earned several commendations during his military career, including the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, is the third South Portland native reported to die overseas since the beginning of the war – 25-year-old Army Sgt. Jason W. Swiger and 21-year-old U.S. Marine Angel Rosa both died in combat in March 2007.
Donald Buxbaum said the family was informed he was wounded in a non-combat related incident toward the conclusion of what he believes was probably a long day for his grandson and soldiers around him.
“I have a feeling it has something to do with people being tired,” he said.
Department of Defense officials report that Justin Buxbaum’s death is currently under investigation, and they had not released any new details as of press time.
Justin Buxbaum is survived by his mother, Julie Buxbaum, and his younger brother William Buxbaum, 14, who live in Georgia, as well as his grandparents and a number of aunts and uncles in the greater Portland area.
“Justin smiled at all people, said kind words about all,” his grandmother, Cheryl Buxbaum said.