Gene Vance was a good friend to me. We spent countless hours working in a bike shop that got maybe two customers a day. Hours we spent talking about riding, hiking and drinking. He was such a kind soul so gentle and supportive. Yet he could party like there was no tomorrow. We only went mountain biking a few times together. I just could not keep pace with him or go out for as many miles as he could. I never understood his passion for Special Forces. It was such a different life then the one I saw him in. He loved the grateful dead and wearing his Birkenstocks. One night he and my other friend Ed(Genes best friend) went to a Gwar show. Gene had his Birkenstocks on and a dead head T-shirt on so did Ed. We looked like freaks in a mess red, yellow and purple spray. What a blast!
I'm so happy Gene found love before he lost his life. I can't imagine how much she misses him. Thank you for defending our Country!
This Memorial Day is For Gene. I miss you man! I'll do a workout in honor of you!

Gene Arden Vance Jr
19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
SGT. Gene Arden Vance Jr., Age 38 of Morgantown, W.Va.,
was a 10-year (98G MI, SF SOT-A) veteran of the
2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne)
West Virginia National Guard
Vance was recently married and had canceled his honeymoon plans when he was called up to serve in Afghanistan
He is survived by his wife Lisa, daughter Amber, mother June, brother David and sister Jamie.


Vance was Killed in Action of a gunshot wound Sunday afternoon, 19 May 2002 while taking part in Operation Mountain Lion, designed to locate, isolate and destroy al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in eastern Afghanistan when his unit, The 19th Special Forces Group, came under heavy fire, he was shot in a mountainous Shkin area in the east. An Afghan soldier fighting alongside Vance was wounded in the firefight, which also left an attacker dead.

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