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| OUR HOMETOWN HERO |
Sgt. James Daniel Faulkner
| April 28, 1981 - September 8, 2004 Operation Iraqi Freedom - Baghdad, Iraq |
This website is dedicated to the memory of James Daniel Faulkner, a
soldier, a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin, a fiancée, a best
friend, a quiet American boy who gave his life while bravely serving his
country with pride and honor as a member of 20th Engineer Battalion of
the 1st Cavalry Division of the United States Army.
soldier, a son, a brother, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin, a fiancée, a best
friend, a quiet American boy who gave his life while bravely serving his
country with pride and honor as a member of 20th Engineer Battalion of
the 1st Cavalry Division of the United States Army.
| Born in the small town of Clarksville, Indiana on April 28, 1981, James Daniel Faulkner was the fourth of six children and the first of three sons born to James and Pamela Faulkner. Growing up, Daniel was a shy and quiet child, most often content to watch television, read comic books and otherwise find ways to entertain and amuse himself. Like his sisters before him and many other children in Clarksville, Daniel attended the Green Acres Elementary and Clarksville Middle Schools prior to attending and graduating from Clarksville High School in 1999. While in high school Daniel was a member of the National Honor Society, as well as the Track and Cross Country Teams. He was named MVP of the 1998 Boys Cross Country Team and MVP of the 1999 Boys Track Team. His coach, Darryl Kingery, was a big influence in Daniel's life and the two of them forged a close friendship. It was Daniel’s dream to become a high school track and field coach and carry on in the tradition of his beloved “Coach K” While in high school Daniel held several part time jobs, however he is best known for his skills at making delicious milk shakes at the local Steak-N-Shake restaurant, which earned him the nickname “The Shake Man”. In his free time Daniel enjoyed fishing and playing pool with his best friend Pat Alexander. After a year of classes at Indiana University Southeast Daniel decided that his future was in the United States Army. In early November of 2000 Daniel enlisted, selecting Combat Engineering as his preferred specialty. Daniel attended basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri after which he attended Jump School in Ft. Benning Georgia where he became a qualified parachutist. He then returned to Ft. Leonard Wood to complete his Advanced Infantry and Engineering training, after which he was assigned to B Company, 20th Engineering Battalion of the First Cavalry Division stationed at Ft. Hood Texas. It was during this time in Texas that Daniel became engaged to his fiancée, Lisa Moreno. They made plans to be wed in San Antonio Texas in the summer of 2005 after his return from Iraq. Daniel had previously been introduced to Lisa, the best friend of his sister Heather, while she and Lisa were students at the University of Evansville in Southern Indiana. Daniel’s unit was deployed to Iraq in March of 2004 where they performed various peacekeeping activities in and around the city of Baghdad. In mid August of 2004 Daniel came home on leave and spent time visiting Lisa as well as friends and family. It was during this visit that Daniel told us that he had reenlisted and that his next duty station after Iraq would be in Hawaii. When asked by his mother why he reenlisted Daniel’s simple and modest reply was “It’s my job and I am good at it.” Daniel returned to Baghdad Iraq the first of September 2004. Early on the morning of Wednesday, September 8, 2004, Daniel was the commander of the lead vehicle in a convoy when insurgents remotely detonated an improvised explosive device next to his vehicle killing him instantly and wounding the other two soldiers in the vehicle. Daniel’s awards include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, Global War on Terrorism Medal and The Army Service Ribbon. In an effort to bring something positive out of this horrible tragedy as well as a means of keeping Daniel’s memory and spirit alive within the Clarksville Indiana community, Daniel’s family established a memorial scholarship in his name at Clarksville High School. Each spring the family awards a scholarship to a deserving graduating Senior. To qualify a student must plan to further his/her education, must have a GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of seven semesters, and must have attended Clarksville High School during their Junior and Senior years. The student must also attach a short informal statement of "What Freedom means To Me." While donations are always gladly accepted and greatly appreciated, the primary source of funding for the scholarship comes from an annual golf scramble held the second Saturday of each October at the Wooded View Golf Course in Daniel’s hometown of Clarksville Indiana. All proceeds from this event go directly to the James Daniel Faulkner Memorial Scholarship Fund. The first golf scramble was held in 2005 and each year the event has been strongly supported, drawing participants from the Southern Indiana, Louisville Kentucky and as far away as Indianapolis Indiana. The family of James Daniel Faulkner maintains this website dedicated to the memory of Daniel as well as his fallen comrades. This site also recognizes other Hometown Heroes for their outstanding qualities and achievements in support and service to our troops as well as our nation. If you have any questions, comments, suggestions or memories of Daniel please feel free to drop us a line at greggilk@insightbb.com We thank you for visiting. |
| EVERY YEAR, ON THE EVENING OF SEPTEMBER 8, FAMILY AND FRIENDS GATHER AT KRAFT-GRACELAND MEMORIAL PARK IN NEW ALBANY INDIANA TO RELEASE MYLAR HELIUM BALLOONS IN MEMORY OF DANIEL. IF YOU SHOULD FIND, OR HAVE FOUND A BALLOON PLEASE SEND US AN E MAIL AND TELL US WHERE IT WAS FOUND: GREGGILK@INSIGHTBB.COM |