Kimple, James F.

James F. Kimple

Carroll, Ohio

Feather Location: Row E, #22

The Associated Press

Mary Dawson remembers the youthful James F. Kimple well. He lived next door to her when he was a child. “All I remember was a really good kid,” Dawson said. “He helped my husband time and time again with anything like lifting, digging or anything else. James was just right there to help. He was a polite, good-acting kid. He was extra special to us.”

Kimple, 21, of Carroll, Ohio, was killed May 2 during combat in Anbar, Iraq. He was assigned to Camp Pendleton.

Kimple was an avid reader. He often read books — hidden within schoolbooks — during class.

Determined to join the military, he left high school during his senior year. He earned a GED and joined the Marines, said Jan Hodge, a vocational teacher. “He was a smart man. He just didn’t care for school,” she said. “He wanted to learn things that were going to benefit him — things he would use for life, and he would rather be out working or going into the military.”

He is survived by his wife, Amber, and three children, Drake, Maleah and Dominic.

“I was so proud of him because I knew he’d be successful at whatever he chose,” Hodge said.

Carver:  Dan Sullivan is a Marine veteran and worked in commercial heating and air.  Dan carves with the Columbus Chippers in Columbus Ohio.

Wood:  Basswood