A Pleasanton mother is remembering her son this weekend as a quiet young man who joined the Army to build a better future for himself.
Jameson Lindskog, 23, an army medic, was killed Tuesday by gunfire while assisting a fellow soldier in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Two other soldiers from his unit also were killed.
The Pleasanton native joined the Army in 2008 and was due to be discharged next year.
Donna Walker said her son knew the world was unfair. But she said that never stopped him from helping those in need.
Lindskog was shy and quiet at first, she said, but once he got to know people, he was open and affectionate.
He loved animals, Walker said, like the dogs his mother rescued. One of the family's dogs, Commanchi, suffered from epilepsy and would often have seizures. Without getting upset or emotional, Lindskog would patiently take care of him, Walker said.
"That's how I knew he would make a good medic," she said.
Lindskog is the first Pleasanton native to be killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
Walker last spoke to her son three weeks ago, but she said she wasn't worried because it was normal to go through a period of silence during busy times.
Her husband, Matthew Walker, answered the door when uniformed army officers knocked Tuesday. He called his wife.
"My heart sank. There's only one reason why they come," she said. "It was the worst day of my life."
Lindskog attended and spent his freshman year at . He then transferred to the Orion Academy in Moraga, where he graduated in 2005.
The Pleasanton native had acquired a degree in massage therapy. His father said he planned to move to Alaska and set up a practice after he left the Army.
His father said his son was an unselfish young man with a solid moral compass.
"He was a deeply caring individual who was committed to his family," said Curtis Lindskog, a Livermore resident. "He also had a deep sense of right and wrong."
Lindskog's body is arriving at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware today. His remains are expected to be transported to Pleasanton in the next 10 days.
Memorial services are being planned.
City officials said that flags will be lowered at all city facilities for three days upon the arrival of Lindskog's remains.
Bay City News Service contributed to this report
