Captain John Louis Hallett III, 30, of Concord, California was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed on August 25, 2009, while returning to base after a humanitarian mission near Sha Wali Kot, Afghanistan. His vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device after delivering medicine to quell a cholera outbreak. The device killed CPT Hallett and the three soldiers who accompanied him.

CPT Hallett graduated from De La Salle High School and entered the United States Military Academy. He played water polo at West Point, captained the team during his senior year and graduated in 2001.

“Captain John Louis Hallett, III was an amazing father and a devoted and joyful husband who always put the needs of others above his own. He had the warmest and most genuine smile,” his wife said. “He was very passionate about what he did for the military, but he wasn’t a blow-it-up kind of guy. He wanted to work with communities and try to make Afghanistan a better place to live.”

CPT Hallett is survived by his wife Lisa and three children.