US Air Force member KIA in Iraq

[Ken Lagerquist]

All,

i know this young man didnt go to school in Kellogg, but this past Saturday we had a young man in my unit Killed in Action in Iraq by an Improvised Explosive Device. He was a month away from his 21st birthday and today we will be having his memorial service. His name is Airman First Class Eric Barnes and i ask that you all keep his family and friends and my unit in your prayers today as we celebrate the life of a GREAT AMERICAN! He was a great young man and i am expecting there to be NOT ONE DRY EYE today at the service. This hit close to home to me as he is the first person i knew that lost his life doing what he loved, fighting for his country.

Ken

[Simon Miller]

Ken,

Somehow I missed this post, but my heartfelt sympathies and utmost appreciation go out to this young serviceman. I don't care what politicians and others say about Iraq, and our foreign policies, these brave young men and women are putting their lives on the line every day to defend our freedoms and they deserve our utmost gratitude.

[Ken Lagerquist]

Thanks Simon, i appreciate it. I also found out this week that a good friend of mine was killed in Breckenridge Colorado, she had just returned from a year in Iraq in Nov, she was a helicopter pilot over there. Very sad how she was so young also, 28 years old, with a bright future. She was crossing the street in Breckenridge and dropped a bag that she was carrying after shopping, she bent down to pick it up and was hit by a trolley bus and pinned underneath. Her service is today, so keep her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers. her mother is also battling brain cancer, so this is a tough time for her family.