Family calls soldier a hero, role model

After 15 months away from his family, Sgt. Rocky Dennis Payne has returned to Utah.

The remains of the soldier, who was killed March 16 in a vehicle explosion in Baghdad while escorting private mail carriers, arrived on a flight from Philadelphia at the Salt Lake City Airport Tuesday night.

His older brothers greeted the casket and accompanied it to a mortuary near their parents' home in Howell, Box Elder County.

Payne's death has brought the family closer together, said Dennis Payne, Rocky's father. "We've always been a close family that believed in God, and I suppose that's the reason that we're able to make each day through this time," he said, his voice breaking as he talked about his dead son. "My faith makes known to me that some day we'll have a great reunion and that I'll be able to sit beside my son and enjoy the good times."

The outpouring of love from neighbors has confirmed to Dennis Payne that his son was an exceptional role model and a local hero.

"I think he deserves it," Payne said. "We're a close-knit community, and our loss is their loss."

Rocky Payne, the 11th Utah resident to die in Iraq since March 2003, was a member of the 497th Transportation Company that is operating from Camp Striker in Baghdad. Soldiers there held a memorial service for him Monday night, and at least two members of his company will be at his funeral, Dennis Payne said.

Payne said he would never have changed his son's decision to enter the military, although he certainly had hoped for a different outcome.

The soldier with a robust sense of humor loved playing with children, Dennis Payne said.

"He could be out with little children and giggle with them and have fun," Payne said. "Children really liked him and looked up to him."

A viewing for Rocky Payne, 26, is scheduled for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Garland Stake Tabernacle and on Friday at 9:30 a.m. A funeral is scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday, and Payne will be buried at Howell City Cemetery.

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E-mail: kswinyard@desnews.com