Army Spc. Cameron K. Payne

Died June 11, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Corona, Calif.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kan.; died June 11 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device that detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad.

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Corona soldier killed in Iraq bombing

The Associated Press

CORONA, Calif. — Pfc. Cameron Payne had a simple reason for joining the military: to support his family.

“He did not join the Army to be G.I. Joe, he did not join the Army to be anyone’s hero,” said his mother, Denise Jackson.

Payne, 22, was killed on June 11 by a roadside bomb in Baghdad. He leaves a wife, an 18-month-old daughter and a 4-week-old girl whose birth he witnessed last month while home on leave in Corona.

His wife, Julie, 22, said the two met while attending Buena Vista High School.

“He was actually my secret admirer in high school,” she said.

He was “the funniest guy anyone could meet,” she said.

“Falling in love” made Payne more responsible and goal-oriented, his mother said.

He married in 2005 and enlisted in the Army that same year. He was sent to Iraq in February and re-enlisted in May.

Payne also is survived by a younger brother, Cody Gowens.

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Family, friends remember soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

Army Pfc. Cameron K. Payne named his youngest daughter after Kyle Keesler, a close friend. The two last met at a party for Payne during his May leave.

“I’m just glad I got to say ‘I love you’ before he left,” Keesler said. “I plan to name my first child Cameron — girl or boy.”

Payne, 22, of Corona, Calif., was killed June 11 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds suffered during combat in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Riley, Kan.

“He did not join the Army to be G.I. Joe, he did not join the Army to be anyone’s hero,” said his mother, Denise Jackson. “The reason he joined the Army was to support his family.”

His wife, Julie, said the two met while attending high school.

“He was actually my secret admirer,” she said. He was “the funniest guy anyone could meet.”

Cindy Driggs, a family friend, said Payne was “thoughtful and introspective,” yet loved doing adventurous things such as jet skiing.

He also is survived by his daughters, Annaleese, 1, and Kylee, who was born in May.

“He was a great father he loved to play with his daughter,” said his wife. “If you meet him, you would never forget him, even if you met him once.”