Bevlinga's blog: "things i don't remember"

Thanks for the good times, and all the laughs. I'm going to miss you. I'm so glad that you were a part of my life. I don't have any memories of you that don't make me want to smile. Love you :] VENETA - Former teachers and classmates said Tuesday that they remember Joe Kenny as a fun-loving student who enjoyed pulling stunts and was voted "class clown" in his senior year at Elmira High School. Kenny, 20, died Saturday in Mosul, Iraq, in an undisclosed noncombat incident that remains under investigation, according to military officials at Fort Bliss, Texas. The Army specialist worked as an electronics devices repairman with the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. ................ Teacher Shannon Hart had Kenny in at least two of his English classes at Elmira High. "Joe easily stands out in my mind - he was a kid I really liked," Hart said. "He was a goofball, a jokester, but in a good way. He had sort of a daredevil personality." Hart said one of the funniest incidents of his career occurred when Kenny brought a plastic toy sword to class and asked if he could give a demonstration. When Hart relented at the end of class, Kenny proceeded to try to swallow the sword. "He got it part of the way down," Hart said. "I heard later that he went to the hospital to get it checked out because he felt he may have done some damage to his throat." Cindy Parker, a since-retired math teacher at Elmira High, said she remembers that Kenny was good at math, and good at drawing out smiles from others. "He would joke around and make me laugh, but he always knew where the line was," she said. "He could defuse a situation." Mike Wallace, a close friend and former neighbor, said he believes that Kenny may have been inspired to follow in the footsteps of his older sister, Jennifer, who also enlisted. Wallace said he believes Kenny was considering a military career. In high school, Kenny wasn't afraid to do things his own way and not follow the crowd, Wallace said. "He was just hilarious, and he was smart," Wallace said. Matt O'Neil, another high school classmate, said Kenny was "one of those guys who would push themselves harder than anyone else. He was a real confident guy, real happy. Ever since I've known him, he made everyone else around him happy." Kenny was born Dec. 26, 1986, in Eugene. He was the third of three siblings who attended Veneta schools, following in the footsteps of brother Michael Kenny, now of Eugene, and sister Jennifer Graves, now of Issaquah, Wash. ........... Joe Kenny - his full name was Joseph Paul Kenny - previously worked for a private company as a computer specialist. He enlisted in May 2005, while still in high school, and was deployed to Iraq last fall. ............ Kenny was the 17th member of the 4th Brigade to have died in the current campaign. He is the 91st soldier with Oregon ties to have died in Operation Enduring Freedom or the war in Iraq, and the third from Lane County.