Joseph F Herndon II

Joseph F. Herndon II was the kind of man who collected friends wherever he went. "He was a big mush, the way he talks about his wife and his family," said Sgt. Chris Bolwell, who served with him. "Everybody liked him," agreed Sgt. Andrew Fix, Herndon's best man at his wedding. "He was just one of those kids." Herndon, 21, of Derby, Kan., was shot and killed July 29 while on guard duty in Hawijah, Iraq. He was based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and is survived by his wife, Melanie. Twice wounded since arriving in Iraq, Herndon had twice insisted on returning. Fellow soldiers said Herndon once had to be forced onto a truck to get medical treatment because he didn't want to leave his unit. Some 1,500 people attended a memorial at his...