Hero

A month away from his 23rd birthday, James (J.D.) Riekena was killed this past weekend in Baghdad by a roadside bomb. His mom got the news early Sunday morning. His mother wants you to know about James the soldier, and James the son. "He was a young man who had a lot of wild dreams and plans and hopes and ideas." James had volunteered for a second tour in Iraq to help pay for college. His mom says the Eagle Scout talked about becoming an English teacher. "His brothers and sister are gonna miss him," his mom said, "and it's gonna hurt forever." "He said 'you know mom, I signed on the dotted line,' " Pat said, "so, he said 'when they tell me to go I'll go cause that's what I swore I'd do.' " "Be proud of what they did cause I'm proud of what JD did," she said. A memorial service for James is being planned for next month. He was assigned to the 145th Brigade Support Battalion based in Post Falls, Idaho. LINK - KOMOTV.COM