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Thursday, April 1, 2004
North Berwick soldier dies when bomb hits truck
Copyright © 2004 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||||||
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NORTH BERWICK — A National Guard soldier from Maine who arrived in Iraq just two weeks ago was killed when an explosive device knocked his tractor-trailer off a bridge, officials said Wednesday. Spc. Jeremiah J. Holmes, 27, a member of the New Hampshire Army National Guard who lived in North Berwick, was part of a convoy delivering supplies to Marines on Monday when the device detonated west of Baghdad, in Ramadi, a Guard spokesman said. Another passenger in the tractor-trailer, Sgt. Randal S. Frotton of Newmarket, N.H., suffered injuries to his ribs and an ankle. Both soldiers belonged to the New Hampshire Guard's 744th Transportation Company, which was deployed for training at Fort Drum, N.Y., in early December. The company arrived in Iraq in mid-March. Holmes is the first New Hampshire National Guard soldier killed in action in Iraq, said Capt. Greg Heilshorn, a spokesman. Two of the company's 150 members were injured a week earlier in a similar roadside bombing. Ramadi is part of the area known as the Sunni Triangle, where insurgents' attacks have come become bolder and more frequent in recent weeks. Family members were notified of Holmes' death Tuesday. For Dick Allard, Holmes' grandfather, the tragedy brought back memories of the murder of his daughter in 1990. When Jeremiah Holmes was just 13, his mother, Sheila, was beaten, strangled and left near railroad tracks in Dover, N.H. A Somersworth, N.H., man now serving life without parole for another murder is the chief suspect but was not charged. On Wednesday, family members gathered at Allard's home in North Berwick, where Holmes was raised following his mother's death. Beside the house, an Uncle Sam lawn ornament clutched an American flag. Callers to the Holmes home were still greeted, after several rings, by the soldier's recorded voice. Relatives said they were not ready to talk publicly about the loss of the soldier they called Jay. But neighbors and others offered a picture of a fun-loving, patriotic man who was devoted to his wife and his 11-month-old son. Holmes joined the Army after graduating from Noble High School in 1994. He served five years on active duty and joined the Army Reserve in 1999. "I can tell you that he was very well liked among the soldiers in his unit, well respected," Heilshorn said. Holmes and his wife, Kimberly, lived in a home just up the street from his grandfather's house. When his company was deployed, the couple were raising their son, Kaleb, and a pug named Jo Jo. The puppy's breeder, Laurie McCabe, and her husband, David, live across Prospect Street. Both remembered their late friend fondly. "Jay was an incredibly sweet person," Laurie McCabe said. "He'd talk to you any time - and really listened to you." McCabe noted wistfully that she'll never again hear Holmes riding his Harley-Davidson. "You could just tell he loved working on that bike," she said. Holmes shipped out for Fort Drum two weeks before Christmas, when his son was just 8 months old. At the departure ceremony, Kimberly Holmes was asked how she felt about her husband's deployment. "Not good. I feel bad for the baby," she told Foster's Daily Democrat. Recalling the timing of Holmes' deployment, David McCabe said, "I know he thought it was one of the worst times to leave . . . But he wanted to serve his country." Laurie McCabe recalled how Holmes tried to remain strong, since his wife worried about him being in harm's way. "He would just say over and over again that it's going to be harder on Kim than it is on me," McCabe said. "But he never talked about his fears." In January, Kimberly Holmes told Foster's Daily Democrat, "Every time I talk to him, he just says, 'I wish it was over.' " The 744th Transportation Company, which is headquartered in Hillsboro, N.H., was mobilized for as long as 18 months to transport dry and refrigerated goods, water, general cargo and gasoline to ground units. Both Holmes and Frotton were part of a detachment based in Somers- worth. The Associated Press and staff research Julia McCue contributed to this report. Staff Writer Kevin Wack can be contacted at 282-8226 or at: kwack@pressherald.com
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