A former Calhoun, Ga., police officer killed this week in Afghanistan spent his free time in the war zone finding coats for Afghan children, his former boss said.
Wayne Willard, 44, died in a Taliban attack in southern Afghanistan on Monday while working for DynCorp, a private security company.
Calhoun police Chief Garry Moss said Mr. Willard was enthusiastic and energetic about police work.
“He was a very good officer,” Chief Moss said. “He wanted to ensure that all law enforcement were trained for what he envisioned as the future of law enforcement.”
Mr. Willard served in the U.S. Marine Corps before working for the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office and then the Calhoun Police Department, beginning in 2001.
He rose to the rank of sergeant, helped start the department’s special response team and served five years on the regional bomb squad.
While in Afghanistan last year Mr. Willard sent a request to the Calhoun police to gather coats for children in an orphanage near where he worked, the chief said.
Mr. Willard is survived by his, wife, Liz Willard, and two teenage children, police said.
Mrs. Willard was not available for questions on Tuesday.