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DEL.ICIO.USDevoted father, son, husband is killed in Iraq
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
At age 14, Joseph Alan Lucas faced a heavy, yet common dilemma for a teen whose parents were splitting up: Live with Dad, or Mom?
He chose his mother, who was starting a new life in Georgia, 1,100 miles from the small town in Maine where he had grown up.
“He was the older one, so he thought he could take care of his mother,” said Jeffrey Lucas, his father who stayed in Maine with the younger son, Jason.
That thoughtful son is the latest casualty of the Iraq war, one of the two Fort Stewart-based soldiers to die last week.
Army Spc. Joseph Lucas was killed by an improvised explosive device Thursday while serving with an armored squadron of the 3rd Infantry Division in Balad, about 40 miles north of Baghdad, officials said.
Things were looking bright for Lucas, 23. He was married to his high school girlfriend, Heather. The two had a 16-month-old son, Joseph Jr. The couple had bought a house in Augusta.
Lucas was supposed to return home Monday to spend Christmas with his family, his wife said. His tour in Iraq was scheduled to end in April.
Nine years ago, the soldier moved to the Augusta area with his mother, Barbara Davis, when she divorced from her husband. The older brother had to be separated from his younger brother, who looked up to him. The boys didn’t see each other much, their father said.
“But it was a good decision because he turned out pretty good. I have no regrets at the decision at he made,” said the elder Lucas.
In high school, Lucas led the life of an ordinary student. He played soccer and basketball. He was easy going and well-liked. He also decided to enroll into a ROTC program.
After graduating from high school, Lucas enlisted in the military. He planned to leave the service and was contemplating becoming a state trooper, a job with a steady paycheck suitable for a man with a family, his father said.
“What happened was sad and a mistake. They shouldn’t have been over there to begin with, but he was doing his job,” said the father.
The funeral is slated for Dec. 27 in Georgia.
Staff Sgt. Curtis Mitchell, 28, also with the 3rd Infantry Division, was killed when a bomb exploded near his tank in Baghdad on Monday, 36 hours before he was scheduled to leave Iraq, said his father, Edward Mitchell.
Mitchell’s brother, Spc. Jimmy Mitchell, was on the same patrol and was due to come back in January, but instead has started home for the funeral, Edward Mitchell said.
Another brother, William Mitchell, graduated from Air Force basic training Dec. 9.
“My children were raised up in a lifestyle that we were supposed to protect our country. They are proud to do so,” said Edward Mitchell, who served in the Navy during the Vietnam War.
Curtis Mitchell, known as “Tony,” was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up outside McConnelsville. He joined the Army out of high school in 1995.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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By Marie
December 20, 2005 09:50 AM | Link to this
My condolences to the brave families that have given everything for America and the Iraqi people. There are no words. You and your loved ones are my heroes. Here is a link to Michael Yon’s Blog…if you do not know it I sincerely hope you will go there and at the top of his front page today is a link to an annonymous video sent to him. Please watch it. [http://www.michaelyon.blogspot.com/]