Private First Class James McClamrock, 22, from Huntersville, NC, was assigned to 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division out of Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

At the time US forces were ending combat operations in Iraq, those remaining were assigned to train Iraqi security forces, provide security for some State Department missions and help the Iraqi forces hunt down insurgent groups. PFC McClamrock was stationed at a base near Tuz Khormato, Balad, Iraq. On September 7, 2010, PFC McClamrock’s unit was preparing to depart for a training mission when one of the trainees opened fire, killing McClamrock, another US soldier and injuring nine.

McClamrock grew up in the Charlotte area and graduated from South Iredell High School. The son of a pastor, PFC McClamrock was deeply religious. After graduation, he met veterans at his TSA job who inspired him to enlist.

“He’s always had an interest in it [the military] as long as I’ve known him. But he’d been praying about it and he was like, ‘I really feel like this is what God wants me to do’,” said his wife, Shannah. “Who was I to stop that?”