Army Pvt. 2 Kenneth A. Nalley

Died May 26, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Hamburg, Iowa, assigned to the 501st Military Police Company, Wiesbaden, Germany; killed in a vehicle accident in Samawah, Iraq, May 26.

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Nalley and another soldier were escorting a convoy in a Humvee when a heavy equipment transporter crossed the median and struck their vehicle.

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Kenneth A. Nalley enlisted in the Army for a five-year hitch last July, just a month after graduating from high school.

He had worked at Hamburg Oil, a full-service gas station, for almost three years, pumping gas, changing oil and fixing tires.

Bob Cooper, a mechanic at Hamburg Oil who spent 22 years in the Army, said he felt like he had lost a son. Cooper had counseled Nalley that joining the Army and gaining some experience as a military policeman could give him an edge when apply for a police job.

“He didn’t smoke. He didn’t drink. He didn’t do drugs because he wanted to be a policeman,” Cooper said. “That was his way to make sure that he didn’t have any troubles, so that he could get to that position in life.”