 Shane S. Barnard U.S. Army Staff Sergeant 1971-2010 Helena |
Ex-Havre man dies in Afghan fighting
Family and friends remember Shane Barnard as a true friend and a loving family member.
“He was a hero,†Lois Jones of Box Elder said of her son.
Barnard, an Army staff sergeant, was killed May 19 in Afghanistan when an explosive device detonated while he was working to defuse another such device.
Barnard was described as dedicated to his family, a caring, helpful man, an outdoorsman who loved to hunt and fish. He loved to serve his country, friends and family say.
Barnard, who originally was trained as a combat medic, was assigned as an explosive-ordnance disposal specialist to the 3rd Ordnance Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington.
Barnard attended grade school in Havre and high school in Great Falls and then in Italy, where he graduated.
Jones said her husband, Robert Jones, is a retired military man, and the family would move with him where he was stationed.
Jones said her son’s family and friends will gather in DeSmet, S.D., to mourn him in a funeral scheduled for June 2. A memorial also is planned for later at Fort Lewis, Wash.
Barnard’s wife, Jennifer, and their three children will stay in Olympia, Wash., where they were living while Barnard was stationed at Fort Lewis.
They then will move to South Dakota when school is out, Jones said.
She said Barnard, her oldest child, always was a “rock†for the family.
“I guess, since he was little, he tried to take care of everybody,†she said.
Story courtesy of the Helena Independent Record.