Fallen Soldier To Make Final Journey Through Lake Elsinore

UPDATE: The staging area for today's 1 p.m. tribute has been moved to the sidewalk area outside Mission Oaks National Bank located at 600 Central Avenue in Lake Elsinore. The previous location was on the sidewalk in front of the Lake Elsinore Target on Collier Avenue.

City leaders are reporting that a special public tribute to honor a local fallen soldier is expected to take place in Lake Elsinore today.

Using email and social media, Lake Elsinore City Councilwoman Melissa Melendez and Wildomar City Councilwoman Bridgette Moore are getting the word out, asking that the public turn out today on Collier Avenue, in front of Mission Oaks National Bank on Central Avenue, to honor

A procession for the sergeant will pass by the Central Avenue location at approximately 1 p.m. His remains arrive in the county today and will be taken to Options Funeral & Cremation Service at 601 Crane Street in Lake Elsinore. Funerals services will take place Wednesday at Riverside National Cemetery.

Sgt. Korte, 29, was one of Lake Elsinore’s own. He left behind a wife and two small children.

The sergeant was assigned to the 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade out of Fort Hood, according to a Department of Defense statement.

Sgt. Korte was a military police officer who joined the Army in 2003 and was deployed to Afghanistan last month, according to the statemment. He fought in Iraq from March 2005 to Feb. 2006, and again from Sept. 2007 to Dec. 2008, the statement read.

“Please make the time in your day to be there with your American flags/signs to show your gratitude for his sacrifice for your freedom,” Melendez wrote in an email to the community. “It is a small amount of time to take out of our day for this American hero. Thank you in advance for your patriotism and support for Sgt Korte's family as he comes home.”

Check back for updates.