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- The People Behind The Sacrifice
Army Spc. Joseph M. Lewis
Died November 17, 2009 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom
26, of Terrell, Texas; assigned to the 8th Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died Nov. 17 in Ezqabad, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Texas soldier dies in Afghanistan
The Associated Press
FORT LEWIS, Wash. — The Defense Department says a Fort Lewis soldier was killed Tuesday by a roadside bomb in Kandahar, Afghanistan.
Twenty-six-year-old Spc. Joseph M. Lewis of Terrell, Texas, was a member of the 5th Stryker brigade.
The News Tribune of Tacoma, Wash., reports he was the 29th member of the brigade to die since it deployed in July.
Lewis previously served a 12-month tour in Korea and was on his first deployment to Afghanistan.
Lewis leaves behind a wife, Theresa, and an infant daughter, Abigail, according to the Terrell Tribune.
Called Afghanistan experience ‘really awesome’
The Associated Press
In his elementary school days, Joseph M. Lewis was one of the restless kids battling in water gun fights on the streets of Bedford, Texas.
“I told a principal, I know he’s not going to be the next pope, but if he becomes a stand-up comedian or a senator, I’ll be happy,” said his mother, Pam.
Instead, young Joey lived up to his later nickname, “G.I. Joe,” and joined the Army in 2005 after graduating from L.D. Bell High School.
The 26-year-old from Terrell, Texas — where his family had moved when he was a teen — died Nov. 17 in Kandahar, Afghanistan, of wounds from an explosive. He was assigned to Fort Lewis, Wash.
His mother said Lewis’ experiences in Afghanistan included sharing tea with village elders who gave him fruit and figs.
“He said it was really awesome,” she said.
Back home, his wife, Teresa, awaited his return with their infant daughter. It was for them, relatives said, that Lewis had traded in his sporty Pontiac Trans Am for a more practical Chevrolet Tahoe.
“He was fun-loving and would do anything to help others,” his family said.
Other survivors include his father, Mike; and a sister, Amanda.