Army Pfc. Kalin C. Johnson

Died March 8, 2011 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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19, of Lexington, S.C.; assigned to 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Vilseck, Germany; died March 8 in Rangrizan, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat incident.

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Soldier remembered as history buff, Gamecocks fan

The Associated Press

Kalin Johnson knew he’d probably be sent into combat, but that didn’t scare him.

“He told me he wanted to be part of the action,” his mother, Kay Johnson, told The State newspaper.

His fiancée, Courtney Waits, said that was what he loved to do. “He said, ‘It was made for me.’“

Johnson, 19, of Lexington, S.C., died in a noncombat incident March 8 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. He was based in Vilseck, Germany. He was a graduate of Lexington High School in 2009.

In his obituary, Johnson’s family said he was an avid fan of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. He also was a history buff who always had his headphones on, the obituary said.

His mother said he was eager to come home so he could celebrate the first birthday of his son, Logan.

The Rev. Ralph Schneck, Johnson’s pastor, said the soldier also had a great sense of humor.

“He was a little crazy sometimes, a lot of laughs,” Schneck said.