DADEVILLE, AL, USA U.S. Army PFC, COMPANY B, 2D BATTALION, 16TH INFANTRY, FORT RILEY, KS BAGHDAD, IRAQ 07/17/2007
James Harrelson of Dadeville, Alabama graduated from Dadeville High School in 2006 where he was a member of the student council, the football team, the baseball team, and the track team. He joined the Army soon after. James’s former high school football coach Richard White said his best memory of his former defensive lineman was his smile. I never really saw him when he wasn’t smiling, White said. If things weren’t going good he would cheer you up… I’m going to miss that smile. He was known to friends and family as “Spanky.” Though he didn’t have any specific plans for the future he knew he wanted live on Lake Martin and have children. His mother, Tammy Kinney, said her son did not yet have a specific plan for his future but one thing was for certain, whatever he did in his life, Lake Martin would be a part of it. Other than living on the lake, James also told his family several times that he hoped to one day be a father. He loved babies, Kinney said. He wanted a couple of his own.
He enjoyed NASCAR, fishing, and hunting. Spanky loved to sing and dance, and always brought a smile to those around him. He served as a mentor to his brother and sisters, loved life and his country. “He was always wanting to be a part of things and to help,” said the Rev. Ken Griffith, Harrelson’s former pastor who knew him as a child. James’s family said anyone who met him almost instantly became his friend. He didn’t have an enemy, said Christopher Baker, Harrelson’s older brother.