The second member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to die in support of U.S. military military operations in the Middle East, was happy in the Army, according to a former teacher and friend who spoke with Cpl. Tanner O'Leary just before he was deployed in August.

O'Leary, 23, died Sunday in Afghanistan from wounds he received when a roadside bomb detonated. O'Leary was taking a watch-over position as part of a reconnaissance team action in Musa Qal'eh, Afghanistan.

O'Leary was a combat infantryman with the 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, of the 82nd Airborne Division, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

An operation involving the Afghan army and NATO's International Security Assistance Force was launched last Friday to retake Musa Qal'eh from the Taliban, according to Khaleej Times Online, a version of an English newspaper published in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

Pfc. Sheldon Hawk Eagle, 21, of Eagle Butte, the other member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe to be killed Mideast operations, died November 15, 2003, when two Army helicopters crashed in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

O'Leary grew up on the family ranch southwest of Timber Lake, where he lived with his mother, Carmen O'Leary, and a sister Tully, 16, and was surrounded by a close extended family.

He also leaves a four-year-old daughter, Alexis.

A cousin, Melissa O'Leary, said O'Leary's death is hard on everyone, especially his mother.

O'Leary would be proud of his mother's courage this week, Melissa O'Leary said.

"He was proud of her anyway, but he would be especially proud of her now," she said. "We all want to honor Tanner."

O'Leary's death impacts many people living on the vast Cheyenne River Reservation, where the term "community" is not measured by proximity or kinship, but by the people you know and the children you watch grow to adulthood.

O'Leary graduated from Timber Lake High School in 2003, where he wrestled and played football. He also attended school in Eagle Butte, leaving there after junior high.

He attended Northern State University in Aberdeen before joining the Army in 2005.

The O'Leary family has a strong tradition of military service, Melissa O'Leary said. Tanner O'Leary is the third of his generation of O'Leary men to serve in the military.

His death cuts deeply into a community that has seen more than its share of tragedy and death in the past two years, according to Chris Bohlander, elementary-school principal in Timber Lake.

Bohlander taught science when O'Leary was in high school.

"This is a close community," he said. "Quite a few of the staff taught Tanner."

O'Leary was a good student with a keen interest in biology, which often challenged Bohlander, but also forged a strong relationship between the pair.

"Teaching him made me go home and want to teach better, because he just ate it up," Bohlander said. "He was hungry to learn."

Bohlander will also cherish memories of O'Leary's zest for life and an infectious smile that usually hinted "he was coming up with a zinger."

His grandmother Arlene O'Leary, 77, clings to memories of that smile. She watched her grandson grow up just next door. He worked hard on the ranch, at school and at life, she said.

"He was my happy little clown," Arlene O'Leary said. "He was a trickster. I loved him so much from infancy."

A good high school athlete, O'Leary didn't "go so much for the medals and trophies as much as he loved the game."

Her grandson was also a devoted father to his daughter. He wanted to be the "best father in the world" because he grew up without a father, she said.

"He wanted to take care of his little girl," Melissa O'Leary said. "His primary concern was his daughter." The family learned Wednesday that Tanner O'Leary's cousin, Capt. Brian O'Leary, will escort his body home, Arlene O'Leary said.

Brian O'Leary is serving in Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne and has started home, she said. This is his second deployment.

Funeral services for Tanner O'Leary have not been scheduled but will take place in Timber Lake.

Bohlander's last conversation with O'Leary was in July when the infantryman was home on leave. The men met one night at a convenience store.

A man had replaced the boyish high school student Bohlander remembered. "He looked like a soldier."

O'Leary was excited about seeing his daughter, who lives in Mankato, Minn., Bohlander recalled.

And, O'Leary was emphatic that the Army was where he was supposed to be, Bohlander said.

"He was there because he wanted to be," Bohlander said. "That gives me peace."

Awards and commendations

Cpl. Tanner O'Leary's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Army Overseas Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge and the Parachutist Badge.

Contact Andrea Cook at 394-8423 or andrea.cook@rapidcityjournal.com