William Justice Foster McClellan was driving in a convoy Jan. 10 when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb.

"There were several trucks that had passed over it, but it just so happened when his truck passed, it detonated," said his wife, Heather.

She said her husband steered the truck to safety, and no other soldiers suffered serious injuries.

"When they were taking care of him on the field, he had told his guys to hold his place because he''d be back in two weeks," she said.

But his injuries, which she described as shrapnel damage to the head, hand and foot, were more serious than he realized.

McClellan, 22, of New Castle, Ind., died Nov. 6 of his wounds at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
He was assigned to Fort Campbell.

"He loved fishing, music. He loved the outdoors," Heather McClellan said about her husband. "He was an adrenaline junkie to the fullest. His family and friends will dearly miss him."

McClellan attended Howe High School in Indianapolis before joining the military and passing his general educational development test. "He was a fighter, and he would never have given up on anything," said his wife.