Sgt. James W. Harlan

 

James W. Harlan coached youth baseball and loved sports. Most of all, he felt compelled to serve his country, his family said. The 44-year-old, an employee for the streets department for the city of Owensboro, Ky., spent two decades in the military and reserves. He re-enlisted after the 2001 terrorist attacks. "There's just so much about Jimmy. There's not just one thing you can say," said his brother, Kenny Likens. Staff Sgt. Harlan died May 14 in a suicide bomber attack in Iraq. He had been stationed at Cadiz, Ohio. His oldest son, James Bryan Harlan, said his father loved the military. "Nobody wants to see their father die at all," the 23-year-old Harlan said. "But to have it be while doing something of this significance, we're proud of him." The tour was James Harlan's second since the invasion of Iraq, said his sister-in-law, Kelly Likens. Survivors include five children, ranging from 11 to 26 years old.