Area soldier dies in Afghanistan

Sent to yet another war zone, Army Sgt. 1st Class Johnny C. Walls ended up being assigned to office work in Afghanistan.

That was in April, and Walls, a 1985 graduate of Bremerton High School, wanted to do his part.

He loved being in the Army, said his sister, Roxie Browning, of Port Orchard.

"He volunteered to take this other guy's place and go out on a mission," she said. "They traveled for six days, and then he was killed."

The family still doesn't know all the details.

A Department of Defense news release said Walls, 41, was killed Friday in Uruzgan, Afghanistan, "of wounds suffered from enemy small-arms fire."

He was a cannon-crew member serving on a "transition team," an 11-member group of U.S. soldiers sent to Iraq and Afghanistan to coach local security forces.

The transition forces are all from Fort Riley, Kan., and in the past year, some 5,000 soldiers have received training for this kind of duty.

"They advise on how to conduct military patrols. They advise on how to do logistics. It's a complicated process, supplying a war, making sure a part gets somewhere on time," said Maj. Nathan Bond, spokesman for the 1st Infantry Division at the fort.

Since Nov. 11, 2001, 138 Fort Riley soldiers and airmen have been killed in action.

Walls was assigned to the 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division.

"He joined right out of high school," Browning said. "He was in Desert Storm in 1990, and he had a tour of Iraq in 2003. He didn't mind going back for another tour. He thought it was his duty."

And, she said, her brother had an appreciation for Iraq and Afghanistan.

"He thought it was pretty, the desert. He liked the scenery, although he felt sorry for the people," Browning said.

She said her brother's most recent tour was to last 12 or 15 months. After that, he was planning to leave the Army, having served some 23 years, and perhaps work for a civilian security firm, she said.

Besides Browning, Walls is survived by his second wife, Alene Walls, of Lawton, Okla.; two sons, Alex Walls and Bradley Walls, of Watertown, N.Y.; a stepson, Brent Fitts, of Lawton; a brother, Harvey Walls, of Salem, Ore.; and his mother, Patsy Johnson, of Port Orchard.

Walls will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, and a memorial service is planned in Port Orchard. Arrangements are pending.

"We were proud of him," Browning said of her brother going for another tour. "He said he had been stateside for a long time. He said, 'It's my turn.' "

Erik Lacitis: 206-464-2237 or elacitis@seattletimes.com