James K. Healy, Army, Sergeant -- Rest In Peace

James K. Healy, 25

Army, Sergeant
Based: Ft. Knox, Ky.
703rd Explosive Ordnance Detachment
Supporting: Operation Enduring Freedom
Died: January 7, 2008
Jalalabad Airfield, Afghanistan
Married, 1 child
Gender: Male
Hometown: Hesperia
High School: Hesperia High School (Hesperia)
Burial: Westminster Memorial Park, Westminster

Healy was killed Jan. 7 on his second tour of duty when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Laghar Juy, Afghanistan, southeast of Kabul and in a mountainous region on the eastern border with Pakistan. Also killed in the attack was Army Maj. Michael L. Green, 36, of Chagrin Falls, Ohio.

Healy and his crew had defused scores of such bombs before, family members said.

"He wasn't drafted; he did this on his own," said Shannon Healy's brother Alan Olney, 15. "He died a hero. He did it for others." ...

Healy's death has been keenly felt in Hesperia, a desert city of 80,000.

"We feel a tremendous loss as a school and as a community," said Ken Jones, 59, who has been teaching at Hesperia High for 18 years. He said the school and town are particularly invested in the war effort.

The military "helps us and we help them," Jones said. "I know several teachers who have children that are over there. . . . We're all proud."

Jones said he had mixed emotions about the high-stakes choices that students make when they join the armed forces.

"I understand the cost of freedom," he said. "I don't like the fact that they have to lay their lives on the line, but that's what it is. I try not to think about it that much because I've had my sons over there."


In addition to his wife and son, Healy is survived by his parents, Timothy and Linda; and a brother, Ian.

Read the entire LA Times article about Army Sergeant James K. Healy here; find more here in the Wild Blue Yonder and find more here.