The father of a 31-year-old Moline native who died Tuesday in Iraq said his son was promoted to sergeant in March, less than a year after joining the Army.
“He actually was able to beat the standard time it takes to become a sergeant,” Joe Duffy of Cozad, Neb., said of his son, Sgt. Justin J. Duffy. “So he was really proud of that.”
Justin Duffy died in Baghdad after the Humvee he was driving hit an improvised explosive device, or IED, shortly after 1 p.m. Iraqi time Tuesday, according to the Department of Defense.
He was the only soldier who died in the blast, his father said. Three other soldiers were wounded.
Justin Duffy’s team was responsible for support and protection of a colonel and command master sergeant as well as any visiting generals, Joe Duffy said.
He was driving the lead Humvee in support of a colonel when the IED detonated.
Justin was assigned to the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division based in Fort Bragg, N.C. In Baghdad, his unit was based at Camp Loyalty and provided security for military leadership.
Justin Duffy grew up in Moline, which his father said was “his real home.”
Justin Duffy had attended Seton Catholic School in Moline until sixth grade when the family moved to Cozad.
After graduating from Cozad High School in 1995, he earned a degree in criminal justice from the University of Nebraska at Kearney. He worked for Eaton Corp. in Kearney for five years before joining the Army.
“He didn’t see a future in the manufacturing environment and needed more of a challenge,” Joe Duffy said. “He found the challenge in the U.S. Army.”
Justin Duffy was deployed in November and expected to spend the next 18 to
24 months overseas, his father said.
“We had some fears, but at the time, the hostilities were much less than they had been previously,” he said. “We took some relief in that.”
He said his son’s unit was busy in Iraq, going on one to two operations a day, six days a week. It provided escort security for high-ranking Army officials.
“Most of the operations were very uneventful,” Joe Duffy said.
He said his son had a strong will and pursued his goals fervently.
“He wouldn’t take no,” Joe Duffy said. “He wouldn’t stop. He had a very strong work ethic and drive.”
Joe said his son could get along with anyone and had a knack for easing tensions between others. He was the kind of guy who was successful at anything he tried and was quick to jump in when needed, Joe said.
“When there’s a job to do, he was the first one there,” he said.
Justin Duffy leaves behind his parents, including his mother, Janet Duffy of Cozad, and his grandfather, LeRoy Hood of Moline, as well as two older sisters in Grand Island, Neb., and Yuma, Ariz..
Funeral arrangements are pending at Rafferty Funeral Home, 2111 1st St. A, Moline. He will be buried at Rock Island National Cemetery on Arsenal Island.
His family is planning a memorial service in Cozad after his funeral.
“My wife and I had nothing but pride in our son,” Joe Duffy said. “Jan and I supported him on his whole path through basic and on to Iraq. He made a choice, a difficult choice. He was going to make a career of the Army. He was doing what he wanted and was happy.”
(The Lincoln Journal Star is a Lee Enterprises newspaper. Quad-City Times reporter Thomas Geyer and The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
