myspace counters 1111Yohn, a tank armor crewman, entered the Army in August 2006. Yohn was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, since February 2007. Yohn's awards and decorations included the National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and the Army Service Ribbon.Unit: Army, 1st Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment
Video: Pfc. James M. Yohn funeral
Layout by CoolChaser A Highspire firefighter inspired to join the Army after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was killed in action in Iraq, his family said.Pfc. James M. Yohn, 25, of the 200 block of South Second Street, was killed by an improvised explosive device on 6/25/2008, his mother, Judy Yohn, said Wednesday night. She said James Yohn and his wife, Amber, are expecting their first baby in three weeks."I was getting ready to go to work at 6: 08 a.m. when I heard a knock at my door," Judy Yohn said. "An Army chaplain and an officer were standing there and introduced themselves to me. I knew as soon as I saw them it would not be good. My daughter-in-law, who lives with me, came out. They told us that Jimmy was killed. He was my baby."At least 28 central Pennsylvanians have been killed in the war in Iraq.Yohn is the first soldier from Dauphin County killed there, while several service members from Cumberland, York, Perry and Lebanon counties have died in Iraq.Yohn's death came during a violent week in the war. Roadside bombs killed four U.S. soldiers in northern Iraq, the military said Wednesday, in a spike of violence that pushed the toll to at least 10 Americans.At least 4,110 U.S. military service members have died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.The Department of Defense had not officially announced Yohn's death as of press time.Judy Yohn last saw her youngest son when he came home to be married in February."They got married quietly in a district justice's office," she said. "They planned to have a full ceremony when he came home. Jimmy was very excited when he joined the Army. He said ever since 9/11, he needed to do something to serve his country. He made the decision in the wee hours of the morning and contacted the Army the next day."According to Amber Yohn's MySpace Web page, the couple's child is due July 19 and she planned to name him James Yohn Jr. "Jimmy might be coming home for the birth, which would be the greatest thing ever!" Amber wrote before the news of his death. "I will be so excited and happy if he gets to come home again and be there with me for this big event and get to see his baby boy for the first time with me!"Judy Yohn said his enlistment would have been up in November and he hadn't planned to re-enlist.Members of the Highspire Fire Department, where Yohn was a volunteer, expressed shock at the news.Outside the firehouse Wednesday night, a flag flew at half staff. Black banners flapped in the wind. A sign proclaimed, "You'll be missed, Jimmy Yohn. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of PFC James Yohn."Yohn became a firefighter after seeing a fire across from his house seven years ago, recalled Frank Raudensky of Steelton, a longtime member of the Highspire Fire Department and Yohn's good friend and mentor."He was like a son to me," Raudensky said. "I looked out for him and kept him in the right direction." He described Yohn as a "tough guy" who loved being a firefighter.Raudensky said Yohn "grew up kind of quick in the Army. When he went to the Army, I told him to be careful and do your best. We talked while he was there. It's like the fire service. We never admit we're scared, but it's always in the back of our minds. We know the danger we face and never know the outcome."Raudensky planned to surprise his friend with a special firefighter's helmet in November. "I feel so bad," Raudensky said.Highspire Fire Department President Michael Ondeck said Yohn was outgoing and always in a good mood."He helped out everywhere he could," Ondeck said.Highspire Mayor John Horner, whose son, Jason, served in Iraq, said his heart goes out to the Yohn family."As a parent, I know what it's like to worry," he said. "How can you deal with this? I'm praying for the family and am very sad."They knew him as a son, a husband and a soon-to-be-father. Now many people are calling James Yohn a hero. Yohn was killed in Iraq this week, but the memory of his life here from fishing to hanging out with friends is what his family is holding onto today. “I never realized until yesterday just how many people my son touched in life,†says Judy Yohn. She also says her son Jimmy was destined to be a hero. He volunteered with the Highspire Fire Department before enlisting in the army shortly after the 9/11 attacks, because he felt he had to do something. “My son was my life... and it's very hard to realize that he's not coming home from Iraq,†says Judy, who gets the strength she needs to deal with the news of her youngest son's death from her daughter-in-law, Amber. She is three weeks away from giving birth to James Michael Yohn, Jr. “He was really excited about coming home to see his little boy,†says Amber. The Yohn's got the news of Jimmy's death just after six o'clock Wednesday morning, 16 hours after Amber's last phone conversation with him. They spoke about the baby and used a webcam so Jimmy could see her belly button. “Mine doesn't stick out like other people's. He was like, ‘that's how you know it's done.’ He's such a goof, such a goof,†says Amber. “I'm going to tell my grandson that his daddy died a hero and he loved him very much even though he never got to hold him,†says Judy.