Joseph N Landry III

Name: Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III

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Age: 23

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From: Pensacola, Fla.

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Assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team), Fort Lewis, Wash.

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Incident: Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III died Sept. 18 in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his unit during combat operations. Also killed were Spc. Nicholas P. Olson and Spc. Donald E. Valentine III.

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Died: September 18, 2007

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Army Spc. Joseph N. Landry III When the Army told Joseph N. Landry III that he had to lose 40 pounds, he strapped a 50-pound pack on his back and started walking. He''d walk 2 miles to his job at a Taco Bell. After work, he''d lug the extra weight home. He did that for weeks. Landry lost the 40 pounds and became a soldier in October 2004. "When he put on that uniform, it just transformed him. He became a different person _ a person who showed pride and confidence in what he did. And that''s how he felt about the Army," said his father, Joseph. Landry, 23, of Pensacola, Fla., was killed Sept. 18 by an explosion in Muqdadiyah. He was a 2002 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Lewis. He worried that he might not make it to Iraq. "He got tired of the training," his father said. "He would call and say, ''I know we''re ready to go.'' That''s where he wanted to be." He also is survived by his mother, Karen. "He said he was willing to take a bullet for a husband or a father just so they could come back and be with their families," said his dad. "He''d take the bullet instead of them _ that''s just the kind of person he was."