Army Spc. Aaron J. Walker, 23, of Harker Heights, Texas; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Vilseck, Germany; died Sept. 18 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his unit with small-arms fire during combat operations.
“Friends Remember Harker Heights Soldier”
The family and friends of a fallen soldier from Harker Heights say he was a light in this world, a light that is now shining from heaven.
23-year-old Aaron J. "A.J." Walker was killed Tuesday in Iraq.
"I am off to Iraq. I am finally allowed to do what I believe is right," Walker had written to family and friends when he left Harker Heights in August.
"I told him, well, I'll guess I'll see you in a few years. And he said, 'Alright, we'll hang out then.' It's tough to know that he's not going to be able to come back," friend John Hails said.
Walker was killed by small arms fire during combat. He leaves behind a wife, his parents, and a brother and sister. But take one step inside Grace Christian Church, and you'll find that Walkers' family doesn't end there.
"I have one son. And I'd like to consider him another one," friend Roscoe Parr said.
"I love the guy. He was a brother, more than a friend," John Holz said.
Walker played the drums in the church band. He also helped his father, who is the church's youth pastor.
"He was always a good leader if someone is straying. If they're having a hard time, someone they can talk to," Parr said.
"He taught me a lot about life. Life lessons, you know. What it means to grow up," Holz said.
The youth group that Walker loved taught kids to take out their anger in healthy ways, like beating up junked cars. Walker decided to direct his anger toward the world's greater evils. And he decided joining the military was the best way to do it.
"I will not live in a world where evil prevails!" Walker wrote to loved ones. "If no one else will stand up against evil, then let the righteous be called upon, let them answer the call, and let the people of oppression be set FREE!"
"He was the type of person who would stand up for what he believed in, and he died standing up for what he believed in. He's a hero," Holz said.
And even though he's no longer here, that hero still manages to
conquer sadness with his happy memories.
"He never had the greatest voice, and he said that one day he's going to be able to sing with the perfect voice. And now I get to smile because I know he's singing with the perfect voice," Holz said.
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