Fire chief's son killed in Iraq

By Kelly Kazek Most airport good-byes, even tearful ones, are not meant to be final.

But when three Limestone County, Alabama, siblings said good-bye in December, they wanted to be sure they left nothing unsaid — just in case.

“Those two boys and my daughter hugged and kissed each other when we went to the airport. They said, ‘I know this might be the last time we ever see each other,’” said their father, Danny Loggins.

On Thursday, two of the Loggins siblings, Amber, 29, and Josh, 24, will attend the funeral service for their brother, Lance Cpl. Adam Loggins, 27, of the East Limestone community. Firefighters from Athens, Huntsville and surrounding areas, as well as military personnel, are expected to attend.

Danny, who was named fire chief for the City of Huntsville three weeks ago, and his wife, Becky, learned last week that Adam had been killed in Iraq. The family has been in seclusion until Monday when they finalized their son’s funeral arrangements.

According to a press release on the U.S. Department of Defense Web site, Adam died Thursday from wounds sustained during combat operations in Al Anbar province. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force from Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Adam is the first soldier from Limestone County killed in the war.



Protecting others

It was after Sept. 11, 2001, that Adam Loggins began to consider a career in the military. With his firefighter father as a role model, it was not surprising to those who knew Adam that he, too, would choose a career in which he risked his life to protect others.

“He’s always been a leader; he always wanted to make sure everything was done right,” Danny said. “Sept. 11 affected him so bad, he felt he needed to do something. He felt joining the Marine Corps was the best way to get his point across so our way of life here would be protected. We talked in long discussions about the dangers of this. I tried to persuade him not to join.”

Danny’s voice broke as he recounted those discussions with his son. He was unable to dissuade Adam or Josh.

“They just wanted to do what’s right,” Danny said.

Josh joined the military within weeks of his brother and was undergoing Army training in Hawaii when he got the news of his brother’s death.

He returned to Athens on Friday to be with his parents and sister.

Now Becky, who joined the support group Alabama Marine Moms after Adam deployed in January, is facing the deployment of another son.

“He’s got orders for Baghdad in November,” she said, her voice breaking.

Adam deployed to Iraq on Jan. 18, telling his fiancé, Brandy Heath, 27, he wanted to marry her when he returned in August.

“He just always said he thought it was unfair to do it before he went,” Brandy said.

Danny said Amber, too, is engaged and she postponed her wedding so that Adam could attend.

“I think they were going to have the weddings together,” he said.

Brandy, who met Adam in 2000 and began dating him about a year ago, has been spending time with the Loggins family since hearing the news of Adam’s death. She said Adam talked of taking a fishing trip to Florida and then returning to North Carolina for a wedding.

“He knew there was a possibility something could happen,” Brandy said. “He just said he wanted to come home safely and take care of me.”

Adam graduated in 1997 from East Limestone High School, where he played for the soccer team, his mother said.

“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “I couldn’t ask for a better son, a better person. He had the biggest heart.”



Honored service

According to a spokesman for II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, Adam was trained as a machine gunner and was promoted to the rank of lance corporal on Feb. 2. His decorations include the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the National Defense Service Medal.

“I’m so proud of what he did,” Danny said. “He paid the ultimate price. My son and other families are paying the check we’ve all written. People need to be more aware of the sacrifices going on.”

Danny said he hopes Adam’s death will not be politicized.

“This is about Adam and the tragic loss we’re having,” he said. “Let’s not get caught up in the political part — this is real blood, real people dying.”



Kelly Kazek writes for The News Courier in Athens, Ala.