Bean was part of a group of soldiers who were preparing to return to their base May 25, 2004 after escorting a military intelligence detail. He was killed in a mortar attack on the group. He and Kevin Sheehan, who died in the same attack, were the first Vermont National Guard combat casualties in decades. His high-school principal, Val Gardner, recalled a lanky kid who always wore a cowboy hat and had a small, tight-knit group of friends. One of those friends, Tucker Watson, remembered him as someone who did what he thought was right, regardless of others' opinions. The redheaded Bean, nicknamed "A.J.," worked at a horse farm before joining the Army.

SPC. ALAN N. BEAN JR. BRIDPORT - Spc. Alan N. Bean Jr. died unexpectedly on Tuesday, May 25, 2004, in Iskandariya, Iraq, while serving with the 1/86th Field Artillery Unit that was deployed from Vermont in January of 2004. Alan was born in Burlington on March 11, 1982. He grew up in Charlotte and attended Champlain Valley Union High School. Alan joined the Army National Guard in 2000, attending boot camp in Fort Knox, Ky., and Advanced Individualized Training in Edgewood, Md. Alan was promoted to sergeant posthumously. A country boy by nature, Alan loved the outdoors, and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He is accurately described as a man who was not concerned with material possessions and was perfectly happy with his rusty pickup truck and a sixpack of beer. He had a sense of humor that was only overpowered by his kindness. To know him was to love him. Alan is survived by his three-month old son, Gabriel Alan Bean of Yarmouth, Maine; his parents, Kim (Reynolds) and Alan Bean Sr. of Bridport; a brother, Ernest Bean of Bridport; a sister, Tricia Bean and her boyfriend Matthew Tetreault of Johnson and Marshfield; his paternal grandfather, Norman Bean of Charlotte; his maternal grandparents, Morris Reynolds of Wadhams, N.Y., and Shirley and Lyle Litchfield of Willsboro, N.Y.; as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends. Alan was predeceased by his paternal grandmother, Jane Bean of Charlotte. Calling hours will be held at BrownMcClay Funeral Home, 48 South Maple St., Vergennes, from noon to 2 p.m. on Friday, June 4. Services are to be held St. Peter Church directly after. Burial will be in the Grand View Cemetery in Charlotte. There will be a reception to celebrate Alan's life at the family home in Bridport. Everyone is welcome. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Disabled American Veterans VA Medical Center, 215 North Main St., White River Junction, Vt. 05009.