Image courtesy: Lovejoy family/KOAT-TV It's rare that someone's last name fits almost perfectly with their character. Yet as Albuquerque affiliate KOAT-TV reports, Pfc. Zachary Lovejoy lived life with love and joy in his heart, especially after he accomplished his dream by becoming a soldier in the legendary 82nd Airborne Division.
"He died doing something he wanted to do. He wanted to be a soldier and he wanted to be in the Army. He joined us his junior year in the program with the ultimate goal of joining the military," First Sgt. Alberto Griego said.
Lovejoy participated in Junior ROTC in high school where he made quite an impression on Griego, his instructor. He joined the military straight out of high school after playing football, wrestling and running track.
"Great individual, he'd give you the shirt off his back if he could. He'd help any student out regardless if you were in the ROTC program or not," Griego said.
According to the article and the Department of Defense, Pfc. Lovejoy was killed in the same terrorist bombing that killed Capt. Daniel Whitten in Afghanistan's Zabul Province. The 20-year-old fallen warrior leaves behind a fiancee, mother, father, and sister.
Lovejoy joined the Army after graduating high school. A stellar athlete, the junior ROTC cadet played football, wrestled, and ran track. He trained at Fort Benning, near Columbus, Georgia, and took the above photograph of himself after his first jump. His sister told KOAT-TV the picture is a favorite of her grieving parents. While remembering her brother, Ashley Lovejoy also made sure to show her family's appreciation for everyone in uniform.
"Our prayers and thanks go out to all other service men and women who continue to serve our country," the soldier's sister said.
Albuquerque NBC affliate KOB-TV interviews some of the many people grieving this fallen hero.
Tom:
ReplyDeleteThanks for your blog, and for your words regarding Pfc. Lovejoy. Because Capt. Whitten was a hometown boy, I'd been able to find a way to pay him tribute on www.redbullrising.com. I wished, however, that I'd been able to similarly address Lovejoy's death. The dedication and determination of our soldiers, as well as the sacrifices made by their families, is humbling. The loss of any soldier seems almost too much to bear ... your words and focus help.
Thank you for your service, Mr. Sherpa. Your tribute is very well written and I highly recommend that all my readers check out http://www.redbullrising.com. I appreciate you visiting the site and posting this comment.
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