Jason Hamill laid to rest

When Karen Anthony, a math teacher at East Lyme High School, heard that a soldier from Salem died in Iraq last Monday she knew she would recognize the name. That soldier was Army Capt. Jason Hamill, a 1993 East Lyme graduate, who was killed by a roadside bomb outside of Baghdad just days before he was scheduled to return home.

“I didn't expect that – that one blindsided me,” Anthony said softly as she sat in a conference room in East Lyme High School.

Anthony had a lot of interaction with Hamill during his high school years as an assistant with school's marching band, in which Hamill was a percussionist. Anthony remembered Hamill not only for his charm and wit, but for his ability to “always get the job done.”

“Jason being a percussionist, he was one of the fun guys,” Anthony said. “He was such a kidder.” Although she had lost track of Hamill after he graduated, Anthony said she was not surprised that he had taken on a role in the service.

“You could see him being dedicated to his country, because he always gave 100 percent,” she said.

William Bonavita, Hamill's high school geometry teacher and wrestling coach, also recognized the qualities of leadership in Hamill. Bonavita said that the combination of individualism and camaraderie essential to wrestling was a perfect match for Hamill's personality.

“From the time he came in, he was a quiet, somewhat reserved young man, who was looking for a way to express himself,” Bonavita said, sitting at his desk in his classroom at East Lyme High School. “But he had a great spirit in him, (he was) very positive, and he had a good wit.”

“(Hamill) was not the best wrestler on the team, but he was one of the kids whose personality helped build the team at the time,” Bonavita said. “To find out what happened to him was an absolute shock, especially to know he was so close to coming home.”

“It's like losing one of your own,” Anthony said. “Especially because it was one of the kids from the marching band; you'd spend as much time with them as your own family.”

Hamill, who lived in Killeen, Texas, is survived by his wife Karen. He was given a full military burial at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.

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