Private First Class Joel Nairn, passed away March 15, 2022.
Born in Madison, Wisconsin on January 26, 2000, Joel attended Crestwood Elementary, Gifford Middle School, Camden Military Academy, and graduated from Case High School in 2018, in Racine, WI, where he lived with his mother.
The Army was the love of Joel’s life. From age 12, he wanted to be a soldier. He read everything he could about military history and visited national battlefields. His proudest moments were when he entered Active Duty for Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina and making his first jump in Airborne. Completing Basic Training he attended and graduated from Ordnance Advance Individual Training at Fort Lee, Virginia and completed Airborne School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Joel was assigned to his first duty station at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida where he handled munitions supporting the 7th Special Forces Group.
Joel’s memorial service was held on Monday, April 4th at Historic Fort Snelling Chapel followed by his burial at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minneapolis, MN. He is survived by his mother Kristina Nairn, siblings Cai and Reid Nairn, father Christopher Nairn, paternal grandmother Marjorie Nairn, and maternal grandfather Kenneth Penttila.
The family has requested memorial donations be sent to the Armed Forces Services Center Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, in lieu of flowers, to help his fellow soldiers. https://www.mnafsc.org/donations