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Sgt. Jeremy Keaton Roebuck
Walker loved being a soldier.
Until the day he died, the 23-year-old Splendora man served his country with
determination and pride. Joining the military was a boyhood dream Walker
finally realized straight out of high school, enlisting even prior to
graduation.
“He loved the strategic approach, the brotherhood and the camaraderie that
the military provided,” said his mother, Melody Clemens, two days after her
son was laid to rest at Ryan Cemetery just south of Cleveland Wednesday.
“He appreciated the opportunity to expand his horizons and become more than
he ever dreamed.”
Walker died in a weather-related car accident outside his home base in Ft.
Bragg, N.C., Jan. 28.
As a last show of respect, the young Splendora High School graduate was
buried with full military honors. As the procession of mourners progressed
through Cleveland-area streets, motorists stopped to salute and pay tribute
to a fallen hero.
A paratrooper and member of the 82nd Airborne Division, Walker completed two
tours of duty in Iraq, at Speicher and Taji, and will be remembered for his
leadership and courage by his peers and superiors.
“The greatest compliment you can pay a soldiers is that you tell him you
want him in the foxhole next to you, that he’s the type of guy you want to
go to battle with,” Lt. Col. Michael Foster said at Walker’s funeral.
“Jeremy was that type of soldier. Though it may not be readily apparent, we
are a nation at war, and Jeremy’s unit stands ready at a moment’s notice.
Jeremy’s loss to our unit is significant, and our strength is being tested.
But we are not weaker, and we will not falter on our course, nor lose sight
of our goals. We are better men for having served at Jeremy’s side. And he
would want it that way,” he said
Close friend and military buddy Buddhika Jayamaha remembered Walker as a
fellow soldier who could be depended on in any crisis, saying that his
colleague’s achievements as a soldier will remain legendary.
“If any of us were in a tight corner, you could always count on him,”
Jayamaha said at the funeral. “[Jeremy] knew what needed to happen and what
needed to be done. And he never hesitated at the point of decision. There is
something about a man who’s not afraid, a guy who would do it with a smile
on his face. Not everybody has that sort of heart. Jeremy did.”
Walker’s friends and former military colleagues Aramando Pinon and Joe
Brennan arrived from out of state to attend the funeral. In a show of
support for Walker’s family, they stayed for a few days to reminisce and
share stories.
“I am amazed how much Jeremy grew,” Pinon said. “I knew him when he came
into the military, I was his first team leader. Now I hear all these stories
– wow. He was a great guy.”
Brennan said Walker was a man of contradictions, a dear friend.
“He was the loudest reserved person I’ve ever met,” he remembered. “When it
came to actions, he just did it. And he liked having fun.”
Some of Walker’s favorite pastimes included working out and soaking up
literature, especially philosophy.
“Jeremy was an avid physical fitness person,” Clemens said. “It wasn’t just
about the muscles and power. He wanted to be physically fit to make sure he
could aid his comrades in the field. But he also had a softer side and did
yoga to clear his head.”
Only a year ago, Walker finished 11th in a triathlon. When family members
asked what to include in his care packages or what to bring on visits, the
answer was, “A little piece of Texas. And books.” One time it was Nietzsche,
whose teachings he pursued, then Aristotle.
“Whatever he did, he did it 150 percent,” Clemens said. “Jeremy had an
extreme thirst for knowledge and the ability to inspire others to get
answers for themselves. He’d tell people, ‘You’re better than what you think
you can be or what you’re told you are.’”
Clemens said that although she knew her son very well, his military friends
and colleagues saw a different side of him.
“I know the boy,” she said. “Five years ago, I entrusted him to the U.S.
Army. They know the man.”
Clemens said that she is deeply thankful for the support her family received
from military personnel in the aftermath of her son’s death.
“There are not enough words to express the gratitude for the comfort the
military has provided to our family. We will forever be in their debt,” she
said. “They brought him home in the manner in which he served – with dignity
and honor.”
Walker is survived by his mother, sister Jaime, grandparents Martha Anne and
R.J. Walker, as well as numerous family members and friends. |
