Sherrill, James Alexander (P3, C1, L40)

Sergeant James Alexander Sherrill, 27, of Ekron, Meade County, Kentucky, was killed Sunday 3 April 2005, in Bayji, Iraq,
when his armored medium truck encountered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED). Sherrill was assigned to the Army National Guard's 2113th Transportation Company, Paducah, Kentucky. His unit mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2004 and deployed to Southwest Asia in January 2005.

Meade County Native Killed in Iraq

Meade County Messenger April 13, 2005 page 1

Sgt. James Alexander Sherrill, 27, Ekron was killed April 3 in Bayji, Ira, when an improvised explosive device (a homemade bomb) exploded near his armored medium truck. He was the third member of the Kentucky National guard to die in combat in the last 20 days.

A lifelong resident of Meade County, he was a graduate of Meade County High School and well known for his years on the Greenwave football team. He joined the U. S. Marine Corps in 1996 after graduation and served until July 2000. He enlisted in the Kentucky National Guard a week later.

He was a student at Elizabethtown Community College with hopes of becoming a law enforcement officer.

Sherrill was assigned to the Kentucky Army National Guard's 2113th Transportation Company from Paducah. The unit mobilized for Operation Iraqi Freedom in December 2004 and deployed to Southwest Asia in January.

"The death of Sgt. Sherrill has impacted everyone in the Kentucky national Guard family," said Maj. Gen. Donald C. Storm, Adjutant General for Kentucky. "He was a wonderful person and a dutiful soldier. His family is in our prayers and we will continue to support them throughout their time of grief."

Capt. William Serie, the commander of the 2113th Transportation Company, passed along the following statement: "James was a people person with a great personality, very outgoing and always there when a soldier needed to talk, no matter who they were. God has called one of his sons home, and we will miss him dearly."

A Memorial service in Sherill's honor was held April 7 at Camp Speicher, Iraq.

Gov. Ernie Fletcher order that flags over all state building remain at half-staff in honor of James Sherrill until sunset on the day he is buried (funeral services were held April 12). They were lowered earlier in honor of Spc. Eric L. Toth, a Kentucky Guardsman killed just a few days before Sherrill.

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