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Forrest Leamon, the son of a local couple who was among the 18 Americans killed in Afghanistan last week, was remembered by his family and fellow agents as a man who enjoyed his work and could always be counted on.
He leaves behind a wife of one year who is four months pregnant with the couple's first child.
Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent Forrest Leamon, 37, the son of Fortuna's Richard and Sue Leamon, was with nine other Americans -- seven U.S. soldiers and two fellow Drug Enforcement Administration agents -- who were killed when their helicopter crashed Oct. 26 while on a mission targeting arms and narcotics smuggling and trafficking in the Badghis province in northwestern Afghanistan.
The other eight soldiers were killed Oct. 27 when their personnel vehicles were struck by roadside bombs in Afghanistan's Kandahar province.
Forrest Leamon was born and raised in the Potter Valley near Ukiah. His parents moved to Fortuna after retiring.
Joe Arabit, DEA special agent in charge of the El Paso Field Division, where Forrest Leamon worked from 2002 to 2007, said Forrest Leamon was working in counter-narcotics operations in Afghanistan, working in concert with U.S. troops and Afghan police forces to identify and
raid heroin labs.
In his final mission, Forrest Leamon participated in a raid on a “major heroin bazaar,” sites which are frequently used to both process heroin and traffic components used in improvised
The cause of the helicopter crash remains under investigation, but officials have said that the aircraft did not come under enemy fire.
Arabit said many of the agents in El Paso came to know Forrest Leamon well, as he participated in surveillance, undercover work and was often deployed as a part of the division's mobile enforcement team, which was used in operations around the region.
”He was a very hardworking, very dedicated agent,” Arabit said. “He was the type of person who could always be counted on. ... He was a real team player, and just a decent human being.”
When word came that the DEA was looking for agents to participate in an operation in Afghanistan, Forrest Leamon volunteered to go, Arabit said.
”He enjoyed that kind of work,” said Sue Leamon, adding that this was her son's third deployment to Afghanistan, and that he brought soccer balls and art supplies with him for Afghan children.
On Thursday, President Barack Obama was on hand at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware to pay homage to the fallen soldiers, marking the first time a U.S. president has done so in recent memory. Obama's unscheduled overnight visit to the Dover tarmac to view the “solemn dignified transfer movement” came as he continues to weigh a decision over whether to send as many as 40,000 additional troops to Afghanistan.
Sue Leamon said it was “important” to her that Obama was on hand to see the transfer.
”It was a sobering reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices that our young men and women in uniform are engaging in every single day,” Obama told reporters last week, adding that the experience of seeing 18 flag-draped cases that held the Americans' remains would play a role in his decision on how to proceed with the war. “It's going to bear on how I see these conflicts.”
Sue Leamon said that her son was active in the Potter Valley community while growing up, playing football for his high school team and participating in 4-H and the youth group of a local church.
”He was a happy, fun-loving kid,” she said, adding that he spent nine years in the United States Navy, earning the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class before joining the DEA.
Forrest Leamon had been married for almost one year to his wife, Ana, Sue Leamon said, adding that the couple is expecting their first child.
”She's four months pregnant,” Sue Leamon said. “They're due to have their baby in April.”
Memorial services are being planned for Nov. 14, and will take place at the McLean Bible Church in Vienna, Va., near Forrest Leamon's home.
Arabit said Forrest Leamon's death was a blow for the El Paso Field Division.
”It's tough,” he said. “People are taking it very hard. It's a tremendous loss to the DEA, but also specifically to the El Paso field office. He left many friends behind here at the El Paso Field Division.”
Thadeus Greenson can be reached at 441-0509 or tgreenson@times-standard.com
