Joseph Perry remembered

(CBS) RIPON, Calif. Specialist Joseph W. Perry of Ripon is called a warrior by his comrades. A military police officer in the army, he fought in some of the toughest neighborhoods in Fallujah and Baghdad. He filmed his daily activity with a camcorder.

Joe's dad, Everett, served in the army and retired. He's now teaching junior R.O.T.C. cadets at Ripon high school. He says his son loved working with Iraqi soldiers.

But on October 2, while on patrol protecting Iraqi citizens at a marketplace, a sniper's bullet ripped through his skull and he dropped where he stood.

"Joe was always the first to see things. For whatever reason he didn't see this sniper and the sniper got him," said Everett.

"I was in shock. I really didn't believe Joe was dead," said Devein, Joe's Brother.

Now Joe's 13-year-old brother, Devein wants to march in his big brother's footsteps.

"Sometimes that's what you got to do. Your beliefs are all that you have. That and your family," said Devein.

As for the political firestorm surrounding this war, Sgt. Perry says Joe would have gone to Iraq regardless of opinion polls.

"All those values, those Army values I talked about: Loyalty, respect, duty. He lived that," said Everett.

Specialist Perry won the bronze medal for saving some Iraqi soldiers in a fire fight. By the way, he's the 12th Central Valley soldier to die in the war.

From CBS 13

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Joseph Perry slain by sniper