Army Staff Sergeant James Estep

Army Staff Sgt. James E. Estep, 26, of Leesburg, Florida, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. He died on November 15, 2005, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.

As a boy growing up in rural Virginia, SSG Estep and his siblings fished in icy creeks, catching trout with their bare hands, and played war with BB guns and the neighborhood kids. After graduating from Lee Adult High School in 1998, SSG Estep enlisted in the United States Army, a goal he had always had, as he wished to carry on a tradition set by both of his grandfathers, who served in World War II. During his service, he spent four years at military bases in Germany and at the time of his death, was in the middle of his second tour in Iraq.

SSG Estep was remembered as a devoted leader who cared deeply for his troops. His brother, Michael, said James was proud to fight for his country. "He cared more for other people than he did for himself. That's how we'll always remember him,"

SSG Estep was survived by his wife and three children.