Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry, Air Assault
1 November 2004
"Life is lived to the fullest, when lived on the edge in adventure" ~ Sgt. James C. Kearney III
Specialist James C. Kearney III, 22, of Emerson, Iowa, died November 1, 2004 in Salerno, Afghanistan. His death resulted from injuries he received when the military vehicle he was traveling in was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade and small arms fire near Sharan, Afiganistan.

The attack occurred Monday, November 1, at 8:17 a.m., Afghanistan time. Kearney was evacuated to a U.S. Army medical facility at Forward Operating Base Salerno, Afghanistan, where he was pronounced dead. He was assigned to the Iowa Army National Guard’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry (Air Assault), based in Shenandoah, Iowa.

James was the son of James C. Kearney Jr. and Theresa Kearney. He is survived by his parents, two brothers Jeremy and Brandon, and a sister Melinda Pease came from a family with a patriotic tradition. His father, James C. Kearney Jr., also served in the military, as does his older brother, Jeremy.

James was a member of St. Mary's Catholic Church in Red Oak, Iowa. He graduated from Nishna Valley in 2001 and enlisted in the National Guard on December 1, 1999. He was an employee of Red Oak Die Casting. James was the first Iowa National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan. A statement from James' family, describing their son and brother as "generous, dedicated, fun and fearless, living life to its fullest and always taking risks. He enjoyed working with youth and for fun he loved to go mudding in his Jeep. He also loved the outdoors." He exemplified the military spirit, was highly patriotic and always willing to help.

He was a member of Task Force 168, which includes about 700 infantry troops from the Iowa Army National Guard who are providing security throughout the war-damaged country for provincial reconstruction teams. The U.S. Central Command issued a statement that said James was part of a group providing security for a convoy that was distributing money to Afghan construction contractors in Paktika Province when they were attacked by an insurgent force. James was transported to a U.S. Army medical facility at a forward operating base in Afghanistan where he was pronounced dead.

The Department of Defense posthumously promoted James to the rank of Sergeant and awarded him the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge, weapons qualification badges for both the M16-A2 (expert) and the M249 (expert), and the 34th Infantry Division combat patch.

The Kearney family requested that in lieu of flowers, cards, or gifts, donations be sent to U.S.O. in support of our troops in the name of James Charles Kearney, III

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Area shows support for Kearney family Brien T. Boyce, Staff Writer
Nishna Valley

Remembering the sacrifices made by military veterans everywhere is a little more surreal when it's one of your own who is being honored. Thursday morning's Veterans Day program at the Nishna Valley Junior/Senior High School building was more subdued than normal, a direct result of the funeral for Sgt. James Kearney III on Wednesday.

"This community knows about blue stars turning gold," said Colonel Tim Orr of the Iowa National Guard, referring to the November 1 attack on Kearney's vehicle that claimed his life near Sharan, Afghanistan. Blue stars are used to remember deployed troops, and a gold star replaces the blue one when a soldier is killed.

Next to Orr was the deceased soldier's father, James Kearney II. A retired technical sergeant with the Air Force, and wearing his dress blues, James II addressed the adults and students packed into the school gymnasium. "Good grief. Grief is good," James II said, trying to describe how the family will cope with the loss of James III, a 2001 graduate of Nishna Valley High School. James II said while he knew the students at both Red Oak schools would be lining the funeral procession route Wednesday, he didn't anticipate the overwhelming support from the rest of Montgomery County that showed up. "There's nothing that prepares you for what's happened the past several weeks," said Orr, who has buried eight soldiers since last year.

Orr said the turnout of people for Kearney's funeral, which included people lining almost the entire route of the funeral procession from Red Oak to Emerson and a vehicle procession of at least five miles, was "the most patriotic display I've ever seen."

The Department of Defense has posthumously awarded Kearney a number of medals, including the Bronze Star and Purple Heart and promoted him to sergeant. Deb Taylor, Nishna Valley's junior/senior high principal, said she was extremely pleased with the response from the community and was proud of "how the students paid their respects to the veterans, especially with regard to Jamie." While in Afghanistan, Sgt. Kearney would call regularly back to the school and talk to Taylor, in order to find out the latest happenings in the school and community, as well as to brief her on his condition in the Middle East. "The Iowa National Guard lost a great soldier, friend, buddy," Orr said of Kearney. "America lost a guardian of liberty."

The memory of Kearney's death will live on halfway across the world, in the country where he lost his life. On November 21, Sharan PRT in Afghanistan will be renamed Kearney Base in honor of the fallen Emerson native. "It just really brought everything home," Taylor said. "Every year we talk about the veterans, and it's always meant a lot. But this time, there was a very familiar face that they (students) could connect with." Taylor added Kearney's graduating class is looking into purchasing and personalizing a brick to display outside of the junior/senior high school.

Even though the death of Kearney is still hard to comprehend, Orr reminded the audience not to forget the rest of Task Force 168 with which Kearney served, which still has at least another six months until they are eligible to return home. "This reinforces that freedom isn't free," Orr said. "But right now, the kids are looking for heroes; and there's no better hero than a soldier."

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Another Hero from the 168th

Also injured in the attack with serious shrapnel wounds were Specialist Kenneth Lukes, 29, of Protivin, who lost his left arm. Kenneth is a member of Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry, Iowa Army National Guard, assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 168th Infantry (Air Assault); and Specialist Michael Johnson, 22, of Red Oak a member of Company B, who suffered injuries to his lower extremities. They were flown to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, according to a statement given by Lt. Col. Gregory Hapgood, the Iowa National Guard's public affairs officer.

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The death of James and the serious injuries to Kenneth Lukes and Michael Johnson was a sad day for their family and friends.