Lexington Herald-Leader -- HOPKINSVILLE, Ky. - Friends of an Army soldier from western Kentucky who was killed last week in Iraq remembered Windell J. Simmons as a leader and energetic friend.
Simmons, 20, known by his middle name, Jeryd, joined the Army after he graduated from Christian County High School in 2004. He died of injuries he suffered Saturday in Taji, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during combat operations, the military said.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas.
One of his former high school teachers remembered Simmons on Wednesday as a serious student, who was quiet in class.
"I had Jeryd for two years in pre-calculus and (advanced placement) calculus," teacher April Harris told the Kentucky New Era of Hopkinsville. "He could have taken the easy route, but he wanted to prepare himself."
She said Simmons was more relaxed around his friends. She said she knew he had an interest in joining the military, and it broke her heart when she heard Simmons had been killed in combat.
One of his high school friends, Tad Abukuppeh, said Simmons enjoyed life and his friends.
"No matter what it was, he was always energetic about anything we did together," said Abukuppeh, now a student at Western Kentucky University. "He was like the ringleader - he was the best."
Friends said he enjoyed a popular interactive video game known as "Dance, Dance Revolution" where players stand on a mat and dance to the beat of music while following video instructions on where to step.
Another friend, Justin Baker, said Simmons was a leader among his peers.
"He was pretty quiet in school but when you got him out of school he was one of the funniest guys you would meet," said Baker, who attends Hopkinsville Community College. "He was the idea man. If we were bored, he would think of something to do."
On Wednesday, Hopkinsville Mayor Rich Liebe ordered that all flags should be flown at half-staff until Simmons' burial.
Gov. Ernie Fletcher directed that flags at state office buildings remain at half-staff in Simmons' honor. The flags were lowered earlier this week in memory of Sgt. 1st Class Charles Jason Jones, a Kentucky National Guardsman who died September 20 in Iraq.
Funeral arrangements for Simmons were pending at Gamble Funeral Home in Hopkinsville.