Fallen Soldier: Lance Horner

Officer Lance Horner, 32, or Grove Hill, Alabama, drowned while assisting another officer whose boat became disabled on the Tombigbee River near the Coffeeville Lock and Dam at 1120 am on June 22, 2003.

The officer with the disabled boat was able to tie it up to the lock. Officer Horner, who was wearing a flotation vest, and his boat were pulled underneath the churning water and pulled through the flood gates. The other officer was able to contact the lockmaster to call for help. Officer Horner's body was found several miles downstream of the dam.

Officer Horner graduated from Auburn University-Montgomery. He loved deer hunting and the feast he would create for friends afterwards.

Officer Horner had been with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources - Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries for over six years.

“Lance was a bright, capable officer, helpful by nature,” said Corky Pugh, Director of the Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. “He will be terribly missed.”

He is survived by his wife and son.