Bald Knob woman's grandson killed in Iraq

BY JANET WILSON
Staff Writer   18 Sep 2002                 citizenlogo.gif (7536 bytes)       

    The first soldier with White County ties died Friday in Operation Iraqi Freedom after he and another soldier were shot and killed and seven others wounded while conducting a raid in the vicinity of Ar Ramadi, said Maj. Jim Watley, a public information officer at Ft. Campbell, Ky.
    Master Sgt. Kevin N. Morehead, the 33-year-old grandson of Zelda Guthrie of Bald Knob, joined the Army  in 1989 and completed initial entry training at Fort Sam in Houston, Texas as a combat medic. After he served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Morehead volunteered for Special Forces training and completed the Medical Sergeants Course at Fort Bragg, N.C.
    He went on to study Arabic at the U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and was subsequently assigned to the 5th Special Forces Group, where he participated in numerous overseas deployments to include combat operations in Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
  Morehead's military education includes the Combat Medic Course, the Basic Airborne Course, the Special Forces Qualification Course, Special Forces Combat Driver Course, the Primary Leadership Development Course and the Basic and Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Courses.
     His awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal with valor device, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, the Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Southwest Asia Service Medal, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Kuwaiti Liberation Medal, the Combat Medical Badge, the Expert Field Medical Badge, the Parachutist Badge, the Air Assault Badge, the Scuba Diver Badge, the Driver Badge, the Kenyan parachutist badge, Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.
     A memorial service for Morehead and Sgt. 1st Class William Bennett, 35, of Tennessee will be held at Fl. Campbell today. Watley said a display of the fallen soldiers' boots and their M-4 rifles topped with their green berets and I.D. tags would be placed at the front of the chapel. He said eulogies for the two men would be delivered by friends and a chaplain. While a brief biography of each man is read, a video presentation will then be shown.
      "It is the unit's way of paying its respects to the two fallen soldiers," Watley said.
     A local gathering of remembrance and a celebration of his life and service to his country will be hosted by the family at Powell Funeral Home in Bald Knob, Sunday from 11a.m. to 1 :30 p.m. with full military honors will then be conducted at Fredonia Cemetery.