Accidental shooting kills 26-year-old soldier

The Army sergeant, whose parents recently bought a Clearwater Beach cafe, died on active duty in the Netherlands.

By ROBERT FARLEY, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published March 9, 2002

The 26-year-old son of a couple who recently bought a restaurant on Clearwater Beach was killed Feb. 27 in an accidental shooting while on active military duty in the Netherlands.

U.S. Army Sgt. James. L. Siedle was an international military police officer serving at NATO headquarters in the Netherlands. He died of a gunshot wound resulting from an accidental discharge of a weapon, said his father, James H. Siedle.

"There are not a lot of details available," James H. Siedle said Friday. "And I am not free to discuss it. It was some sort of accident. It didn't involve anyone else. . . . It was just one of those tragic events."

James H. and Linda Siedle bought the Computer Port Cafe in Clearwater Beach in December, and Mrs. Siedle moved to the area in January to begin running it. The couple plan to complete a move from Vicksburg, Miss., to a Palm Harbor home next week. They decided to have their son buried in a national cemetery near their new home.

Sgt. Siedle is scheduled to be buried with full military honors at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell on Monday afternoon.

Sgt. Siedle was born in La Mesa, Calif., and graduated from Vicksburg, Miss., High School in 1994. He enlisted in the U.S. Army National Guard in 1993 and then entered active duty in the Army in 1995.

His military service included assignments in Germany, Bosnia and the Netherlands.

He is survived by his wife, Sandra, a 4-year-old son, James Jr., and a 2-year-old daughter, Denise; his parents, James H. and Linda Siedle, Palm Harbor; and a brother, Thomas C. Siedle, Norfolk, Va.

Visitation will be held Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. at Clearwater Funeral Home & Cremation Options of Clearwater.

A funeral mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Monday at St. Brendan's Catholic Church in Clearwater. Burial at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell will follow at 2 p.m.

© 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright