A Gentle Giant Man… Joel Lewis

At 6'6" Joel W. Lewis was a gentle giant and had a smile that would light up a room! He loved animals, especially cats; he had five cats!  He was very adventuresome and loved to SCUBA dive, sky dive, play basket ball and hockey.

Joel was taller than all of his friends growing up and other kids just gravitated towards him.  He was always the leader of the group and would organize the boys and some girls of the neighborhood into hockey teams.  They would set up on the street and play hockey for hours.  Joel's brother Justin would, of course, get to be the goalie. When Joel came back to the Ft. Lewis , area he found a group that played hockey and got involved once again.  Joel wore his Toronto Maple Leafs jersey all the time.  We have pictures of him wearing it as a teenager to his adult years.  Joel was buried with his favorite T shirt, and hopefully he is still playing hockey with the big boys up in heaven and having a blast!

Joel phoned me in December and said he was probably going to be leaving for Iraq in February. As all parents would, I was starting to get worried and felt I had to visit him before he left. I prayed he would come back again to us and wanted to spend time with him before he left to go overseas.  I immediately got an airplane ticket and made plans to visit him in  Tacoma , Washington .  I was always realistic that he might not return. He was going over with the "surge."

We tried to pack a lot of living in a weekend. I met his fiancé. We all went bowling, played miniature golf and went out to dinner with everyone.  We all had a great time and laughed and joked around a lot. It was a time that I will never forget.  I cherish all the pictures I took that weekend in Tacoma .  That would be our last time together before he left. 

Joel loved life and loved to joke around with everyone. People tended to gravitate towards him and I was always amazed at how he seemed to at ease with strangers and would make friends in five minutes.  He had the gift of making people feel at ease.

Army Sgt. Joel W.  Lewis, 28, of Sandia Park , New Mexico , belonged to the Stryker Brigade, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, out of Ft. Lewis , Washington . He was assigned to the weapons unit and had to carry very heavy equipment around. His unit was very happy when he came to them because he was so tall and strong and could carry the equipment well. He was well liked by the guys in his unit and they appreciated his sense of humor.

He died on May 6, 2007, with five other soldiers and a reporter from Russian Newsweek when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Baqubah , Iraq . Joel is dearly loved and greatly missed by his family who will honor and cherish his memory for as long as we live.

God Bless our troops, and may they all return home safe again soon!

By Gale Poindexter, proud mother of Sgt Joel W Lewis