By Staff
Iraq war soldiers honored at Purple Heart memorial
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
The names of a Hartselle soldier who lost his life in the Iraq war and another who was wounded there while serving on his second tour were recently added to the Purple Heart Memorial in Hartselle’s Sparkman Park.
A special ceremony was conducted in their memory and honor on Jan. 10.
Spec. 4 Jon-Erik Loney was honored posthumously as a Purple Heart recipient. An engraved plaque was presented in his memory “for defending freedom and serving his country” by Chapter 2212 of the Military Order of the Purple Heart representing Morgan and Cullman counties. It was presented to his parents, Bo and Violet Kaylor, and brother, Josh Loney, all of Hartselle, by Chapter 2212 Commander James Shaffran.
Loney was killed Nov. 21, 2006, when the Humvee he was driving was blown apart by a roadside bomb. At the time he was on patrol duty about 40 miles north of Baghdad with the 1st Battalion of the 6th Infantry Division.
Honored also as a Purple Heart recipient was Army Sergeant Jantzen Frazier, son of Murrell and Debbie Frazier of Hartselle and a1993 graduate of Hartselle High School. He was injured on Dec. 3, 2006 when a roadside bomb exploded under the Humvee he was protecting as a 50mm gunner. Wounds to one of his legs required 234 stitches.
He has since recovered and returned to duty with the 1st Calvary Division, north of Baghdad.
The 1st Calvary is headquartered at Fort Hood, Tex. and is pulling its second tour of duty in Iraq.
Shaffran said the addition of Loney and Frazier brings to 220 the number of Purple Heart recipients from Morgan and Cullman counties whose names are engraved on the memorial.
Bricks forming a walkway around the memorial bear the names of veterans as well as active duty military personnel.