First Lieutenant Michael Runyan, 24, of Newark, Ohio, was assigned to 52nd Infantry, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He died July 21, 2010, of injuries sustained when insurgents attacked his convoy vehicle with an improvised explosive device in Muqdadiyah, Iraq. He had been in Iraq for less than a month on his first deployment.

1LT Runyan graduated from Ashland High School in 2004, where he swam on the swim team, played tennis and was captain of the golf team during his senior year. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice at Xavier University while serving as an ROTC cadet. He was a member of the Xavier ROTC’s intercollegiate competitive team and a member of the honors society. He joined the Army following graduation.

Sister-in-law, Brittany Runyan said “Michael had this amazing energy. He could make anyone laugh and could always cheer you up. Everybody adored him.”

His pastor, Rich Boyer, said that 1LT Runyan always was respectful and loved his family. “I do know he was [in Iraq] because he wanted to be there,” he said. “He was serving his country, and he did that with honor.”