MURRIETA: Soldier killed in Afghanistan was on way home - Press-Enterprise

An Army flight medic from Murrieta who was killed in Afghanistan this week was just days away from returning to the United States.

Sgt. Eric. E Williams, 27, died on Monday, July 23, when the base in Pul-E Alam, a city just south of Kabul in Afghanistan's Logar Province, came under enemy fire, the Department of Defense said Wednesday. Williams was transitioning from another base, passing through on his way home to the U.S., when he was killed.

Williams was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C. He was one of three Fort Bragg-based soldiers to die this week in Afghanistan, according to the Defense Department.

Williams was a 2002 graduate of Murrieta Valley High School, where he ran track and cross country and was president of the Fire Explorers, Principal Renate Jefferson said.

Helping others was always ingrained in Williams, Jefferson said. He completed twice the number hours of community service required to graduate. His quote in the senior yearbook was "Do good things."

After high school, Williams became an EMT and drove an ambulance for American Medical Response before joining the Army.

Williams is believed to be the first Murrieta Valley graduate to be killed while on active duty in the Middle East, Jefferson said. His classmates are in the middle of planning their 10-year reunion, to take place next month. Now, part of that reunion will be spent honoring their fallen classmate, Jefferson said.

Williams was nearing the end of his second deployment since joining the Army in 2007. Williams previously served as a medic in Iraq during 2008 and 2009. He received a number of commendations, including a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with Valor and oak leaf cluster, the defense department said.

Williams' family, including a wife, Wendi, and parents Bruce and Janet Williams, could not be reached on Wednesday.

While deployed, Williams' wrote poignantly in his blog, called "My Friend the Medic." The posts are filled with frank thoughts on war and musings on the disconnect between life in the U.S. and at war.

In his final post, on July 17, Williams wrote he was getting ready to come home to the U.S., a place he felt increasingly disconnected from.

"Now I am preparing to jump on a plane and return to a world that I don't really understand anymore," he wrote.

Despite his ambivalence towards civilian life and people of his generation, Williams wrote proudly of his service and the people with whom he served.

"As for our accomplishments here in Afghanistan, I'd do it again in a heartbeat," Williams wrote. "I will forever hold these experiences close."

Follow John F. Hill on Twitter: @johnfhill2