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Airman 1st Class Eric M. Barnes

All-American

For Eric Barnes, there was something about big trucks. Tractors, too, especially if they were John Deere.

His dad doesn’t know why. He grew up in a city in Ohio.

But when they’d go to county fairs, Eric always found the tractors. Even as a 2-year-old he’d climb up on each and every one of the big green machines and pretend like he was driving them.

It’s one of the things that made Eric that all-American guy, said his dad, Thomas Barnes of Lorain, Ohio.

Eric also bowled, starting when he was 5. At 18, he joined an adult league and threw his first 300. Eventually he wanted to form a league with his dad and younger brother, Dale. He played baseball in high school and became an Eagle Scout.

He joined the Air Force and was stationed at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne for about a year before heading to Iraq.

At 20, his commanders put him in charge of a small group of Iraqi nationals. A lot of responsibility for someone so young. His job was to drive trucks, big ones, and he took his job seriously.