Specialist James Roland Burnett

1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regiment,1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division Fort Wainwright Alaska
US Army

Specialist Burnett's Act of Heroism

November 16th around 7 am in Afganistan my son James Burnett just got off duty, but instead of staying at his base he decided to go out again with his buddies on patrol. Around 8:30 their truck got hit with an IED and my son flew in the air and hit the weapons above him. Even though he had a helmet on, it dented it and from the impact he died instantly. The vehicle flipped over and son was underneath with a broken neck.

My Hero

My son was a very special boy. When he was 17 he joined the Army Reserves while still being in school. They gave him an HR job which he didn't like because he felt like he needed to be helping somebody. When he graduated High School he joined the Infantry. He had to go through another basic training which was no big deal to him and then was shipped to Alaska. In April he was shipped to Afghanistan. He loved the people there, he would sit and tell stories of his doggies and joke around with them even though they didn't speak English. He would ask for extra goodies in his care packages to give to the kiddos, he said they loved gum! My son loved everybody he met, didn't matter if they were a different race or even speak another language. Every time I took him to the store he would talk to the people in line next to him, always leaving them with a smile on their face. One reason i know why i consider him a hero is because he lost his hearing in his right ear, all he had to do was to tell his Srgt and they would have moved him back to the states. My son when we discussed it said "Mom I joined the Army so i could defend this country, I signed those papers and I'm gonna keep my promise. Somebody has to take care of these kids. By all means I didn't win this discussion. He is loved no matter where he is. I got so many cards from people and i get people he knew stopping me and telling me he was a good kid. He is gone but NOT FORGOTTEN!!

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