Fallen Soldier: Jonathan M. Walls

Sergeant Jonathan M. Walls, 27, of West Lawn, Pa. was assigned to the Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. He died August 1, 2009, in Mushan Village, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained when insurgents attacked his patrol with improvised explosive devices and rocket-propelled grenades.

SGT Walls graduated from Wilson High School in 2001 and enlisted in the Army in 2005. He served a tour of duty in Iraq and was deployed to Afghanistan in May 2009.

As a kid, SGT Walls spent a lot of time playing “shoot-em-up” video games. “As it turned out, it was good training for his military career,” said his father, Steven. SGT Walls was once assigned to maneuver the high-tech armored combat vehicle called the Stryker, which has sophisticated sensors and communications systems. “He loved it,” Steven Walls told the Reading Eagle. “He said, ‘Dad, it’s just like the video games.’ ”

SGT Walls is survived by his wife, Meghan, a son, Hayden and daughters, Lily and Allahna.