Command Sergeant Major Donovan E. Watts, 46, of Atlanta, Georgia was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was killed on Nov. 21, 2006, in Bayji, Iraq when a land mine detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Siniyah, Iraq.

Watts was born in Anniston, Alabama on Sept. 10, 1960. He enlisted in the Army in 1979 as an infantryman upon graduation from high school. During his 27-year career he held every position in his job field, from rifleman to battalion command sergeant major. He had also served as an instructor at the Basic Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia.

“Command Sergeant Major Watts was a special person, a phenomenal natural leader, and also a very caring, humble man,” said his close friend Colonel Curtis Buzzard. “He absolutely loved being a Paratrooper.”

CSM Watts is survived by his mother, Theresa; sisters Bridget and Brandi; brother, Marlon and daughter Charlee. His fiancé at the time, Yvonda Bolton, said, “I’m still dancing with you in my heart.”