AUGUSTA, GA, US
U. S. Army
SPC, TROOP A, 5TH SQD, 7TH CAV, 1 BCT (TF BAGHDAD), FORT STEWART, GA
12/15/2005, BALAD, IRAQ
Army Specialist Joseph Lucas was killed by an improvised explosive device on December 15, 2005 while serving with an armored squadron of the 3rd Infantry Division in Balad, about 40 miles north of Baghdad, officials said. He was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga. He was twenty-three years old.
At age fouteen, Joseph Alan Lucas faced a heavy, yet common dilemma for a teen whose parents were splitting up: Live with Dad, or Mom? He chose his mother, who was starting a new life in Georgia, 1,100 miles from the small town in Maine where he had grown up. He was the older one, so he thought he could take care of his mother. His father stayed in Maine with the younger son, Jason. Things were looking bright for Lucas. He was married to his high school girlfriend, Heather.
The two had a 16-month-old son, Joseph Jr. and the couple had bought a house in Augusta, Georgia. At the time he was killed, Joseph Lucas was supposed to return home in just a few days to spend Christmas with his family. His tour in Iraq was scheduled to end in April 2006.
Joseph’s decisions were good ones and resulted in pride from everyone as he blossomed into a strong confident young man who had set his sights on becoming a state highway patrolman. During high school, he led the life of an ordinary student. He played soccer and basketball and was easy going and well-liked. He also participated in the ROTC program where he earned the rank of cadet captain with the Marine Corps ROTC. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the military. Joseph’s younger brother, Jason, joined the Marines shortly after Joseph died.
Family sadness is tempered somewhat Joseph’s young son, Joseph Jr. — nicknamed L.J. – who looks and acts much like his father. Public service was always in Joseph Lucas’s heart. His first career choice was to be a state trooper — he was awarded a badge posthumously.