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Thursday, February 04, 2010
Local Grad Dies in Afghanistan
By Rozanna M. Martinez
Copyright © 2010 Albuquerque Journal
Journal Staff Writer
A 20-year-old La Cueva High School graduate who was serving in the U.S. Army was killed Tuesday when the vehicle in which he and another soldier were riding was attacked in Afghanistan.
Pfc. Zachary George Lovejoy, 20, was killed along with 23-year-old Capt. Daniel Whitten of Grimes, Iowa, when their vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device in Zabul province, according to a Department of Defense news release released Wednesday night.
The two were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, N.C.
Lovejoy and his fiancee, Kaitlin Varner, of Jonesville, S.C., were to have been married in June 2011.
"Zachary was one of those young men who wanted to find his niche in life and was in and out of ROTC," said Maj. Bill Barker, former senior Marine instructor of ROTC at La Cueva. "Once he made up his mind, he graduated high school and he really took off. Zack was a special young man."
Barker, who is now the ROTC coordinator for Albuquerque Public Schools, described Lovejoy as energetic and said he enjoyed watching the teen work toward his goals.
Lovejoy played football and ran track during his freshman and sophomore years and also wrestled, said Larry Waters, La Cueva athletic director.
A friend, Christopher Whippo, said in a phone interview that he had known Lovejoy for about eight years and that the two had been in the ROTC program together at La Cueva. After high school, both enlisted, with Lovejoy joining the Army and Whippo the Navy.
"He was motivated and wanted to do something with his life; that's why he joined the Army," Whippo said. "He was a happy person who always had a grin on his face."
Whippo said Lovejoy loved dirt bikes, and the two had ridden together a few times.
He said the last time he spoke with Lovejoy was over the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays. Lovejoy had been in Afghanistan for only a few weeks and was adjusting to the new environment, he said.
"He was so outgoing," said Madison Tabet, who worked with Lovejoy at a local Smith's grocery store.
"He was never shy and always willing to talk to somebody and make them laugh. He was a great listener and a great friend."
Lovejoy, on his MySpace page, said, "I am a Christian and try to live my life for God."
Journal staff writer Will Webber contributed to this report.
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