Remembering Zachary Lovejoy
The city of Albuquerque lost a true hero on February 2 , 2010. Zachary G. Lovejoy was a patient at Haltom orthodontics and part of our orthodontic family. Zachary died serving his country in Afghanistan. Zach graduated from La Cueva high school in 2008 and was a member of the ROTC and excelled at football and wrestling. During his senior year Zach enlisted in the Army and completed Airborne training in February , 2009. After a Knee injury Zach was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regimen, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division and was deployed to Afghanistan on August 28, 2009. Zach was an amazing young man that had a true love for life and people. He would come to his appointments and give Gwen a hug. We had great conversations about school, cars, football, family and his plans for the future. Zach was not just my patient, he was my friend. After his braces were off he would take time to come talk to me about how and what he was doing. The last time I saw Zach was when he came in to see me after finishing basic training. I remember thinking how he had transformed into a proud man, a real soldier. Zach gave his life for the freedom we enjoy everyday.We pray for strength for his family and fiance and know they are very proud. If you see a person in uniform, please take time to pause and thank them for their sacrifice. Zach is a true hero and a fantastic young man and we will miss him dearly.
