
COLUMBIA, S.C. — A former South Carolina man killed in Iraq “loved the Army” and joined just a few months after graduating from Fort Mill High School, his parents said.
“He had the option of getting out about three years ago and he didn’t. He loved it and wanted to be there,” said Judy Baker, mother of Staff Sgt. Paul Neff II, who was killed Nov. 7 when his Black Hawk helicopter was shot down in Tikrit.
“He loved the Army,” said Baker, who now lives in Spring Hill, Fla.
Neff was one of six soldiers killed in the incident. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division based in Fort Campbell, Ky.
Neff, 30, joined the Army after graduating high school in...