Veteran remembered as kind, loving father
By Jon Nyatawa
Omaha World-Herald
Copyright 2007 The Omaha World-Herald Company
 Photo Joe Mixan Bellevue firefighter Adolph Martin places a hand on the casket of William Bailey. |
BELLEVUE, Neb. — Spc. William Lee Bailey III had one main concern when he became a volunteer firefighter five years ago: That it was OK to bring his kids by the station to see the firetrucks.
Even though Bailey, a Nebraska National Guardsman, died Friday in Taji, Iraq, his children are still welcome at the Bellevue fire station, said Fire Chief Dale Tedder.
When Tedder talked to Bailey’s wife, Deanna, Saturday, “she asked if the kids could still come down (to the station),” Tedder said. “They just love coming down here.”
An improvised explosive device struck Bailey’s vehicle while his unit, the 755th Chemical Company, was providing convoy security, according to the Nebraska National Guard. Three other Nebraska soldiers were injured, but their names were not released.
Tedder was one of seven volunteer firefighters who met Sunday at Bellevue’s station to reminisce about Bailey, who was supposed to return in about three weeks for a two-week leave.
The seven even shared some laughs when they talked about Bailey’s shifting personality: One day he’d talk for hours, and the next he’d give a one-word response.
They chuckled when James Adams recalled times during firefighter training when Bailey would take Adams’ sunglasses and the two would swap seats to confuse the teacher, who thought they looked similar.
And they smiled every time someone mentioned Bailey’s two hobbies: hunting and motorcycle riding.
But nobody grinned or joked when they spoke of his wife and kids. And that’s exactly how Bailey was, said Pete Lenagh.
“He was a fun guy, but serious when it came to his family,” Lenagh said.
Bailey, who was 29, and his wife have a blended family of five children, three of whom live with them in Bellevue, a Fire Department spokesman said. He is also survived by his parents, Terry and Margaret Denike of Bellevue.
Lenagh volunteered with Bailey at the Fire Department and also worked with him as a medical helicopter dispatcher. “I was with him more than my girlfriend,” Lenagh joked during a conversation before the group convened.
But Lenagh enjoyed every minute he and Bailey were together, maybe because of Bailey’s daily approach to life.
“He was always there for you,” Lenagh said. “It was his calling to come out and help everybody, and that is why he went to Iraq.”
But Bailey also went to Iraq for his family, according to Joe Moore. Moore, who has considered Bailey his best friend for about 15 years, said Bailey knew that joining the military would improve life for his loved ones.
“His family was his No. 1 priority. They mattered the most to him,” Moore said. “He did very much so want to support his country, but he knew that it would provide a better (financial) situation for them.”
Moore said he’s having trouble accepting Bailey’s death even though a violent incident about a month ago sharpened his awareness of the danger Bailey faced. In that incident, Moore said, Bailey was traveling in an armored vehicle when a roadside bomb exploded.
The explosion blew a hole in the vehicle, but nobody was hurt.
“It kind of gave everyone a little scare that something actually could happen,” Moore said. “He got lucky on that one. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen that way (on Friday).”
But even when they consider the dangers Bailey faced in Iraq, nobody on Sunday could fathom the nightmare facing them.
“I’m hoping that this is a bad dream, and I’m hoping to see (Bailey) here,” said Greg McElwain, a Bellevue volunteer firefighter. “I know that’s not going to happen, but this is not real for me yet, and I know that’s how it is for the family.”