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...Sgt. William Elliott Allmon was more than a soldier in the U.S. Army.
He was a first-born son, father and grandson whose crooked smile made anyone he ever met fall for him, his family said.
“He was my confidence. … He was the one that changed my life when he was born, and he is who made me into the woman I am today,” said Donna Fortune, Allmon’s mother. “He was always a strength for me. … We had it rough, but just knowing he was there for me, that’s what made life easier.”
Allmon, born and raised in Floyd County until age 12, died Saturday in Baghdad of wounds received when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device, according to the Department of Defense.
Allmon, 25, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, and 3rd Infantry Division of Fort Stewart.
Fortune, who lives in Guyton, was notified of her child’s death Sunday while talking to her stepdaughter, Miranda Hanc
William Elliott Allmon at 4 years old. (Contributed photo) |
ock Zachary of Midland, Texas. “There was this sudden emptiness, and it felt like someone had shoved a knife into my chest and emptied everything in me,” she said.
Fortune, who lived with her son from August 2006 until his deployment in May 2007, said they were very close.
“I watched his life flash before my eyes in that one moment,” she said. “The pain was so devastating. It was like a shock of electricity. ... It was terrible, the despair.”
Fortune said she was helped through the pain by a lesson she taught her children when they were young: “I tried to teach my children about death, that it doesn’t come to somebody unless they’ve served their time here on Earth. I could actually hear (Will) saying to me, ‘You need to practice what you preach, Mom.’”
At 17, Allmon joined the National Guard with his mother by his side.
“He wanted to further his education, and I encouraged him to join the military because of the benefits,” Fortune said. “He was a very intelligent, smart man from a very young age. I was so proud of him when he graduated from high school.”
Allmon joined the Guard in 2000 and went full active duty in 2003 in Ardmore, Okla., before being stationed at Fort Stewart near Hinesville, Ga.
“He was a leader who was looked up to by other soldiers,” she said. “He was a loyal soldier who went beyond the call of duty.”
During Allmon’s tour in Iraq he kept in close contact with his grandparents, Billy and Joann Phillips of Cedartown.
Joann Phillips e-mailed Allmon often during the past three months.
“He told me he was about to get promoted to be a sergeant,” Joann Phillips added and in a recent e-mail remembered telling him, “Sweetheart, keep your mind alert.”
Allmon was to return to the United States this summer with his company. Fortune said she plans to be at Fort Stewart when they arrive, welcoming his brothers- and sisters-in-arms.
“I consider all of them to be my children now,” she said, “and I plan on staying there because it’s like my home. I’ll be around all the people who knew Will.”
Fortune said though she doesn’t understand the reasoning behind the war, family and friends should not abandon soldiers just because of this incident. “We need to love them, and it wouldn’t hurt to walk up to one and just shake their hands if you see them on the street,” she said. “They are our true heroes, whether they live or die over there.”
Fortune also asked anyone who knew Will and who may have photos or memories they want to share to call her at 912-728-5738.
“He has two beautiful boys (Damien Allmon, 3, and Jason Luke Johnson, 11), and I want those kids to know who their father was from every perspective possible,” she added.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete. Henderson & Sons Funeral Home will be in charge of the arrangements.
Click here to read a previous report about Allmon.
