James Turner carried a small, red Bible in his large, worn hands. Tucked inside were tiny bits of paper — notes in childish scrawl and drawings of racecars.
The scraps were gifts from his son, Ricky Lee, when he was a boy.
James was proud when Ricky took strides toward becoming a man and joined the Army 2 1/2 years ago.
“I just remember him talking about jumping out of planes and the things he was doing over there,” James said Monday, recalling his son’s training as a combat engineer at Fort Bragg, N.C.
Ricky, 20, of Athens was deployed to Iraq in December with the 82nd Airborne Division, according to his aunt, Vickie Garrison Turner of Elkmont. On Friday, less than a month later, he was killed when an improvised explosive device struck the vehicle in which he was riding.
Garrison said her nephew’s body is expected to arrive by plane today in Huntsville but she was unsure of details.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at Majestic Chapel at 21315 Hays Mill Road, Garrison said. Funeral arrangements for Turner will be announced.
Other survivors include a wife, Nikki Turner of Hazel Green, his mother, Regina “Susan” Grimes of Huntsville, a brother, SFC Jimmy Grimes of Missouri, who also is stationed overseas, and his grandmother, Dorothy M. Turner of Piney Chapel.
Ricky grew up in Athens and attended Athens High School. He later attended Decatur High School but did not graduate, according to his aunt Tammy Turner of Piney Chapel.
“When he joined the Army in 2006, they wanted him to go ahead and leave school and he got his GED,” she said.
Garrison said Ricky joined on Sept. 11, 2006.
“He said he was proud to do it,” she recalls. “He had a big heart and he was a good boy.”
Ricky’s cousin Sandy Turner said: “He was a great person. I’m so proud of him.”
Ricky joined the Army after taking ROTC classes in high school, Garrison said.
“He thought that would be something he could excel in,” she said.
Tammy said she thought Ricky would be successful as a soldier.
“Anything Ricky did, he always achieved what he wanted to do,” she said. “He put his whole heart in it. I thought the world of him. I’m very proud of him and he’ll be very missed.”
Garrison said the news of Ricky’s death, which came just three weeks after his 20th birthday, was a shock.
“You’d think you’d be prepared,” she said. “They tell you to prepare before they leave in case they don’t come back, but lord knows we weren’t prepared. I just didn’t realize he wouldn’t come back. It’s just been terrible, terrible.”
The family was notified Friday by Army personnel of Ricky’s death, James said. He was told three others were killed in the blast but he does not know the identity of those soldiers.
Turner is the second soldier from Limestone County killed in the war. Adam Loggins of East Limestone died in 2007.
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