White Hall Soldier Dies In Iraq Violence
Last updated Tuesday, October 2, 2007 6:35 PM CDT in News
By Jeannie Nugent
THE MORNING NEWS
WHITE HALL --Sgt. 1st Class James Doster, 38, of White Hall was killed Saturday in a roadside bombing and gunfight in southern Baghdad. He was a convoy commander.
The family was eagerly awaiting an October visit home from the soldier, said his mother, Billie Doster of White Hall.
James Doster, a White Hall High School graduate, also is survived by his wife, Amanda, and daughters Kathryn, 6, and Grace, 3, who live in Wamego, Kan.
"Kathryn was counting down the days until he was supposed to be home," Billie Doster said. "She doesn't really understand. All she says is, 'It's not fair.' They had so many plans for when he came home."
James Doster had talked by telephone with his wife and daughters the day before he died.
The soldier was deployed to Iraq in February. He had joined the Army 17 years ago during his second year at Hendrix College in Conway and served mostly as a recruiter.
James Doster served in the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kan.
His mother said she was at her White Hall home when the doorbell rang about 9 p.m. Saturday. She opened the door to find two military officers in full dress uniform. They broke the news that her son had been killed, she said.
"It's so easy to read 'an American soldier was killed' in the papers. You don't really make the connection," she said. "When it's your own, you find it a lot harder."
James Doster also had served in Desert Storm, his mother said.
"He was young and didn't have a family then," said Billie Doster. "He was less gung-ho this time. He had two young girls and a very happy marriage to leave behind."
His father, Charles Doster, died in 2006.
James Doster was quiet and organized, his mother said. She laughed when recalling how he and his brother, Rob, cleaned out the garage after his father's death.
"He even made labels for the keys," she said. "He came in and said 'Mom, did you know dad never threw anything away even if it were broken?'"
Silence overtook her as she remembered the birth of the "miracle child" 38 years ago. The couple had tried for years to conceive a child when they adopted their older son, Rob.
"Then we found out I was pregnant with James," she said. "He was very much wanted and loved."
It will be at least a week before the soldier's body will be released to his family.
A funeral will be at Lakeside United Methodist Church in Pine Bluff. Burial will be with military honors.
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sdelhierro wrote on Oct 4, 2007 3:25 PM: