ShawneeDispatch.com

I am a part of all that I have met"

-- from Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses"

While the war in Iraq has claimed many lives on all sides, this weekend it claimed the life of someone who friends and family members proudly refer to as one of the finest persons they have ever known.

On Sunday 2nd Lt. James Michael Goins, a 23-year-old who graduated valedictorian of his class at Bonner Springs High School in 1999, was killed by enemy gunfire in Najaf, Iraq. Friends said the man they knew as Mike was killed when an enemy gunman fired into the open hatch of a tank that Goins was in. Goins was one of several U.S. troops who have been killed in Najaf since hostilities escalated in that area Aug. 5.

A gentleman and a scholar

Chris Wood, Goin's former English teacher at Bonner Springs High School, said she has a lot of enduring memories of the classy young man that inspired fellow students and athletes to look up to him.

"Chivalric," she said. "It means helping the helpless, respecting women, showing loyalty your chosen leader and a devotion to God. That is what it means, and that was Mike."

Mike's father, Jim Goins, is a former pastor at Rehm's Park Southern Baptist Church in Bonner Springs and a one-time school board member who now resides in Berryville, Ark.

Jim Goins said he was proud of what his son accomplished and the way that he lived his life.

"I am most proud of the man he was," Goins said. "The type of man you are has to do with the things you accomplish. I am proudest most of the man he was. I hope those who knew him kind of remember that and try to live up to that."

Wood said of all her memories of Mike Goins, one will stand out in particular. Goins chose to do a Civil War re-enactment as part of his senior project in high school.

Part of that project entailed paying a visit to the local elementary school and teaching the younger students about his findings. It was there, within the halls of Bonner Springs Elementary, where Wood said she witnessed a single small act of kindness to a child.

That act she said, was indicative of type of character Goins possessed.

"He asked for questions at the end, and a little boy raised his hand," Wood said. "He went over to the boy and rather than tower over him, he knelt beside the boy. He did that intuitively, he just understood people. And I can still see him in that uniform, and this is so hard."

Wood and Connie Hadley, who teaches Latin and English, said that the news of Goins death hit the school community hard. However, they both said they are thankful they can draw upon the support from others who knew Goins and that they can turn to literature to help heal their wounds. Both suggested that a particular line in Alfred Tennyson's "Ulysses" seemed to explain the profound impact Goins had on the school and Bonner Springs community. They also said those 10 words help them cope and help them remember Goins.

A team player

Goins didn't just achieve success in the classroom. He was also a force and a leader on Bonner Springs' football and basketball teams. In both sports, Goins' teammates voted him as captain.

"When you talk about fantastic athleticism and amazing speed, that wasn't Mike," football coach Lew Kasselman said. "What he did have were those indelible leadership and self-discipline qualities. He was always doing things the right way. He always put the team first. He didn't have an ego, that was just how he did things."

Kasselman said Goins was not a vocal leader. Instead, he quietly led by example and his teammates, and no doubt peers and fellow soldiers, followed him instinctively. But when Goins did have something to say, Kasselman said, everyone listened.

Although Goins was tall, Kasselman said his athletic ability, as well as his academic ability, was something he earned.

"That wasn't given to him," Kasselman said. "A lot of that he made himself. He knew the work it took to be successful."

To this day, Kasselman has held onto a plaque that Goins and his teammates gave to their coach following the 1998 season. The season was not the most successful in terms of wins and losses, but Kasselman said it was an important season all the same.

"That season had a lot of unforgettable memories," he said. "Seasons aren't always measured in wins and losses. Sometimes it is the things you accomplish and the way you can grow as a person."

Born to serve

After his high school graduation, Goins enrolled in Kansas State University and participated in the university's ROTC program. He studied history and graduated with honors in May 2003. Lt. Col. Arthur DeGroat, the officer and military science professor who commissioned Goins, said Goins stands out among all the soldiers he worked with and taught.

"I've been at K-State for five years," DeGroat said. "I've dealt with thousands of candidates and commissioned 60-plus lieutenants. If you put Lt. Goins in that pile, he is a diamond amongst all of those pearls. He was a very special and unique individual."

DeGroat said Goins served as the standard by which his ROTC peers were judged.

"He was probably the most well-rounded absolute expert on everything tactical," he said. "He set the standard for the other cadets."

Because of Goins' expertise, he received the Recondo Badge, an honor that goes to the top 2 percent of ROTC cadets.

Goins was immortalized in two ways. He was invited to etch his name inside the door jamb at the military science building, an honor reserved for the top student each year, and was pictured standing upon his tank in the current August issue of the Army's magazine.

Jim Goins said he will always remember his son's fascination with the military and the times the two spent watching or participating in Civil War re-enactments. The two were even able to serve together on the same cannon crew during one re-enactment.

"(A soldier) was something he grew up wanting to be," Jim Goins said. "This was under his initiative, something he wanted to do."

While Mike had known he wanted to be a soldier for quite some time, his natural mentality and his work ethic made him a standout soldier and a model civilian.

"He was born to be a soldier," Jim Goins said. "He was always very self-disciplined and had a strong character."

DeGroat said he had many conversations with Mike Goins' wife, Paula -- formerly Paula Mason of Bonner Springs -- whom Goins dated in high school and eventually married, about the soldier's safety.

"Paula had a lot of apprehension," DeGroat said. "I just told her ‘you and I couldn't stop Lt. Goins from being a soldier. It was in his blood to be a soldier.'"

Jim Goins asked that anyone interested in sending a memorial should consider making a contribution to Homes for Troops, an organization which adapts homes to accommodate wounded soldiers who return from duty. Those contributions can be mailed to P.O. Box 615, Buzzards Bay MA 02532.

Jeff Harrington of the Alden-Harrington Funeral Home said the service for Goins will be in Arkansas sometime next week. However, Harrington said a memorial book that friends may sign will be kept at the funeral home, at 214 Oak St. in Bonner Springs, until next week. He said he would send it to the family.