Leamon died in a helicopter crash on Oct 26, 2009, during his third deployment to Afghanistan. He and two other DEA special agents, along with seven U.S. soldiers, were on a joint, covert mission to combat drug trafficking as part of the Forward Deployed Advisory Support Team, or FAST, program. All 10 died on the mission and are buried together at Arlington National Cemetery.
Prince William Board of County Supervisors Chair at-Large Ann Wheeler, Vice-Chair Margaret Angela Franklin, Coles District Supervisor Yesli Vega, and Neabsco District Supervisor Victor S. Angry gave remarks during a Memorial Day ceremony at the McCoart Government Center on Friday, May 27, 2022.
Growing up in Potter Valley about 15 miles from Ukiah, Calif., Leamon was involved in the 4-H program, youth baseball and high school football, according to his obituary posted in the Ukiah Daily Journal in November 2009.
Leamon’s name is also included on memorials in El Paso, Texas, the DEA’s Fallen Heroes Memorial, a memorial in Potter Valley and another in Afghanistan, Leamon’s mother Sue Leamon said. “When the DEA opened a new building for their regional headquarters in New Mexico, they named the complex after him.”
Leamon attended Mendocino College, in Mendocino County, California before enlisting in the U.S. Navy where he served in naval intelligence and achieved the rank of petty officer first class. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Maryland, Leamon joined the DEA as a Special Agent in 2002.
In 2008, Leamon married Ana Laura Lopez and they moved to Woodbridge soon after they were married. They were expecting their first child when Leamon died.
Leamon is also survived by his father, Richard Leamon, of Fortuna, Calif., sister Heather Leamon of Burney, Calif., sister Wai Leamon of Redding, Calif., nephews William, Alan, Andrew, and niece Rayah Leamon all of Burney, Calif., his grandmother Arlene Oldham of Citrus Heights, Calif., as well as aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Memorial Day, observed on the last Monday in May, is set aside to remember those who died while serving the country in the U.S. military. Many remember by visiting cemeteries and memorials and by attending Memorial Day ceremonies or parades to recall those who perished.
-Prince William County Government
