A true and faithful Soldier

Stanton KY, (AP) Newsfirst. The father of an eastern Kentucky soldier says his son was killed in Afghanistan when his patrol was confronted by Taliban fighters.

Jerome Morton says military officials told him yesterday about the death of his son - 31 year old Sergeant First Class John Morton of Stanton.

Jerome Morton says the Army told him his son was on
a mission in the mountainous area around Kandahar
when he was killed Thursday. The Pentagon said
yesterday that Morton's patrol came under small-
arms fire. Morton was assigned to the 74th Infantry
Detachment (Long Range Surveillance), 173rd
Airborne Brigade, based in Italy.

Morton enlisted in the Army as a senior at Powell County
High School in 1992. Morton was married and
had three children, two girls and a boy. He also is
survived by his mother and two sisters.

Morton's sister told us about the last e-mail she
exchanged with her brother --just a week ago. She
wrote that some people in the Stanton area considered
him a "hero". John said "no, you're only called a hero
if you don't come home alive.