Army Sgt. Jonathan M. Walls

Died August 1, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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27, of West Lawn, Pa.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 1 in Mushan village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades. Also killed were Army Pfc. Richard K. Jones and Army Pvt. Patrick S. Fitzgibbon.

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‘His kids were his life’

The Associated Press

As a kid, Jonathan Walls spent a lot of time playing “shoot-em-up” video games.

As it turned out, it was good training for his military career, said his father, Steven.

Walls, 27, of West Lawn, Pa., was once assigned to maneuver the high-tech armored combat vehicle called the Stryker, which has sophisticated sensors and communications systems.

“He loved it,” Steven Walls told the Reading Eagle. “He said, ‘Dad, it’s just like the video games.’ ”

Walls was one of three Army soldiers killed Aug. 1 when their patrol was attacked with explosives in Mushan Village, Afghanistan. All were assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

Walls, a 2001 graduate of Wilson High School, wanted to do work that helped people. Beyond his military work, becoming a family man allowed him to do that, his father said. He left behind a wife, Meghan; son, Hayden; and daughters, Lily and Allahna.

“He was a good dad, a good son, a good soldier and a good man,” his father said.

“His kids were his life. He lived for them.”