Kenneth Bostic remembered

HAWTHORNE "" Army Sgt. Kenneth Bostic, killed by a sniper's bullet Monday in Baghdad, was a quiet leader with impeccable character, members of a grieving community said Thursday.

Bostic, 23, was a 2003 graduate of Mineral County High School in Hawthorne.

Chests heaved and voices cracked as community members talked about losing one of their own.

Mike Vinson coached Bostic in soccer. Vinson's daughter became engaged to be married two months ago and Bostic was going to be best man at the wedding.

"I know this happens in big cities, but this is a first for Hawthorne," Vinson said. He's talked to others in the community and at Hawthorne Army Depot and no one remembers someone from Hawthorne dying in the Gulf War or in Vietnam.

"This is a first for all of us," Vinson said. "Our hearts are so heavy we can't pick them up."

Vinson and others began working on a memorial for Bostic under a 135-foot flag pole in Veteran's Memorial Park on Hawthorne's main street.

He made the decision to create the memorial the instant he learned of Bostic's death, Vinson said.

"Because of his commitment and his strength, he's no longer with us," Vinson said. "We thought we wanted something to put up there so that when a truck driver from Texas drives by, he's going to look at that and he's going to read that."

Mineral County High School math teacher Mike Caramella had Bostic in three classes and also was the assistant baseball coach the four years Bostic played.

"I just feel like it shouldn't have happened to him of all people," Caramella said. "Not that it should happen to anyone. But he was a special kid."

"You develop special relationships and bonds with not that many kids, and he was definitely one of them."

Bostic's leadership skills showed when he played varsity baseball as a freshman, Caramella said.

"He was a leader on and off the field," the teacher said. "If we were down, he would be in the dugout and he would tell everyone to pick it up."

Bostic wanted to be a police officer and likely didn't expect to go to college, Caramella said. But he still took a high school calculus class for the challenge.

"Kenny is just the type of kid, that's why we teach," Caramella said. "We knew we were going to miss him after he graduated. You just don't replace people like that."

Mineral County High School career coordinator Darryl Odom knew Bostic his whole life.

Odom remembers Bostic was one of five members of the class of 2003 who joined the Army together.

In addition to loving football and baseball Bostic also loved music, Odom said. Bostic made a point of visiting Odom and other teachers at the school and on one trip brought back a compact disc of music he and a friend in the barracks recorded of a performance in Iraq, Odom said.

It's no surprise Bostic rose quickly to be a sergeant, calling him "a natural leader to the max," Odom said.

"If you asked him to do one thing he would go the extra mile," Odom said. "He would work with you and get people with him."

He wouldn't let other youth disrespect adults and also worked well with kids younger than him, Odom said.

"He was funny. His sense of humor, man, he could just make you laugh and brighten up the room."

Odom said the community is still dealing with the grief.

"Hawthorne to me is family. It's close. When we lose one it hurts us all. It's one of our babies."

Anthony Kelly and Margaret Spriggs were two of the people who visited the memorial on Thursday to leave flowers.

Spriggs said she had a son die in a car accident two years ago and Bostic sent her a letter of consolation while serving in Afghanistan.

"He had a huge heart," Spriggs said. "He could be angry at you one second, but if you needed something, he would be there."

Kelly considered Bostic a close friend.

"He loved football," Kelly said. "He taught me how to do defense. He inspired me and I looked up to him a lot."

Bostic loved Hawthorne and proudly visited the community while serving in the Army, Kelly said.

"He was so happy about what he was doing," Kelly said. "He was so happy he was in the service and making something of himself."

Both were somber as they walked away from the memorial.

"That sign over there describes everything he ever was," Kelly said. "He was a friend. He was a brother. He was a soldier. And he was a hero."


From the Reno Gazette Journal

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Kenneth Eric Bostic slain by sniper