Sticks of Fire: a Tampa blog

26, of Leesburg, Fla.

assigned to the 1st Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, Fort Campbell, Ky.; died Nov. 15 of injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Taji, Iraq.

Teachers at Holston High School recalled James E. Estep as a boy with an easy grin, always cutting up and always being reprimanded for making too much noise. “James was the type of kid that you’re going to remember,” said Euly Daniels, the band director. “He liked to be loud, and he liked to be seen. He always tried to win. He worked hard, and he could run all day.” … As a boy growing up in rural Virginia, Estep and his siblings fished in icy creeks, catching trout with their bare hands, and played war with BB guns. In high school, he wrestled, ran track and played drums in the band.

A visit with a psychic shook Estep and made him believe he would die before he turned 27, Kelly Estep said. “I had a weird feeling that he knew,” she said. The psychic predicted James Estep would marry twice, divorce once and die before his 27th birthday. He had been married once before and turned 26 in March.

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