He was only 21. Thought i'd share this with everyone.
Ione remembers young soldier killed in Iraq
Jay-D Ornsby-Adkins had moved to the U.S. as a child with his mother.
By Blair Anthony Robertson - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Wednesday, May 2, 2007
The flowers and cards began to appear outside the Robyn's Nest hair salon not long after the dreadful news.
In the close-knit Amador County town of Ione 40 miles southeast of Sacramento, it didn't take long for nearly everyone to learn that Jay-D Ornsby- Adkins, a 21-year-old soldier, had been killed in Iraq, the victim of an improvised explosive device.
His mother, Robyn Ornsby, owns the popular hair salon on West Main Street.
Ornsby-Adkins had joined the Army nearly a year ago as a way to give his life direction after graduating from an alternative high school and working a variety of odd jobs, including a stint at the local fireworks factory. He was stationed at Fort Benning, Ga.
He was one of three soldiers killed Saturday in Salman Pak, Iraq, when their vehicle was hit by the IED and small-arms fire, according to a written statement provided by Fort Benning military affairs.
Ornsby-Adkins had minor scrapes with trouble in his youth but was well-liked, according to Craig Wiedenhoeft of Sutter Creek, who was designated as a spokesman for the family.
"He's an outstanding young man and he was a good kid," said Wiedenhoeft. "He just wanted to make a better life for himself. (The Army) was what he wanted to be. He wanted to go to Iraq and be right in the middle of it. He was so forceful about it that nobody tried to stop him."
"He just got his life going," said a neighbor, Jerry Wertenberger. "He had only been married a few months."
More at link
http://www.sacbee.com/101/v-print/story/164690.html