Murray, 26, of Kansas City, Mo., was killed Sept. 4, 2007 when his Humvee was hit by an improvised explosive device in Sadr City, Iraq. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley.
Murray recalled thinking the attack had occurred where his son had been on missions.
"I remember thinking 'Oh my God, there's a lot of Humvees in that area. I hope it's not Joel.' Then my doorbell rings," said Murray, who lives in Simpson, a small town in Mitchell County.
He answered to find uniformed Army officers, one a chaplain, from Fort Riley.
At that instant, "I knew what happened. When two field grade officers walk up to your door, it's not good news," Murray said.
Joel's father said he was passionate about learning. At 12 he started reading about World War II and other subjects. In Iraq he developed an interest in Russian literature.
"Learning was so important to him," Kenneth Murray said. "As a kid he could tell you all about the solar system. He used to quiz us on it. He had a real thirst for knowledge."
Murray describes his son as unselfish. His former classmates say the same thing.
"I have always known him as an all around great guy," said Carl Cox, a high school classmate of Murray's. "I always enjoyed being around him. He always stood for the right thing. You could always count on him."
Kenneth Murray, a Vietnam War veteran, always knew there was a chance his son, who had wanted to join the Army since he was 13-years-old and was on his second tour in Iraq, would be hurt or killed.
"You always know your son's an infantryman who puts himself in harm's way. And you also know that he knows what can happen. But he does it, and that makes him different than most people," he said.
