Kenneth Haines remembered

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) _ Army Spc. Kenneth Haines' family feared his daily encounters with improvised explosive devices while on road patrol.

This week, the family learned their fears had become reality. Haines was killed Sunday on routine road patrol when the armored vehicle he was riding triggered a roadside bomb near Balad, Iraq. Two other soldiers were critically wounded in the explosion.

The 25-year-old Haines had just begun his second tour of duty in Iraq in October.

"I tried to talk him out of going back," said his older brother, Mike Haines, 30, of Baldwinsville. "All he talked about was those damn IEDs."

A six-year Army veteran, Kenneth Haines was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas.

When Mike Haines heard about his brother's death, he said he refused to believe it.

"But the next day, I called the Army to confirm, and I've been getting calls from friends ever since," he said.

A two-sport varsity athlete at Fulton's G. Ray Bodley High School, Kenneth Haines had lived in Granby since age 12. His parents divorced and his mother struggled to provide for him and four siblings, the brother said.

Kenneth Haines was a defensive end on Fulton's Red Raiders football team that finished runner-up in the 1998 state high school football championship playoffs. He also wrestled in high school.

Michael Conners, the Fulton varsity wrestling and football coach, was stunned when he heard of Haines' death.

"This is the kind of kid you want representing your country, because he's a man of honor and loyalty. He showed that as an athlete. You weren't going to find a kid who was much more loyal or honorable than Kenny Haines," Conners said.

Mike Haines said he hopes to carry his brother's legacy on with his yet-to-be born child.

"I've decided if it's a boy, I'm going to name him Kenny," he said. "His memory will live on."

From Newsday

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