The father of a 21-year-old Campbellsville University Kayak Fishing Team who died last week at a tournament in Texas was killed at the same age in Iraq in 2005.
The body of Peyton G. Hughes, of Springfield, a rising junior, was discovered Friday morning at Toledo Bend Lake in Hemp Hill, Texas. One of Peyton’s teammates alerted authorities on Wednesday afternoon after Hughes failed to check in at a designated location while he was pre-fishing solo in preparation for the tournament.
Hughes graduated from Washington County High School and was entering his junior year at Campbellsville University.
Hughes’ father, 21-year-old Army Spc. Jonathan A. Hughes, of Lebanon, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 623rd Field Artillery Regiment, Kentucky Army National Guard, according to Militarytimes.com. He was killed on March 19, 2005, “when his Humvee struck a roadside bomb while he accompanied a U.S. convoy headed to Baghdad International Airport,” the Associated Press reported.
Peyton Hughes’ mother, Sara A. Hughes, wrote in a GoFundMe.com post wrote about her son: “He was only 21 years old the same age his father was when he was killed serving in Iraq 20 years ago. To lose them both at the same age feels beyond imaginable.”
Peyton Hughes’ funeral service is scheduled for Monday, October 6 at River of Life Community Church in Springfield.
(Photo l-r: Peyton G. Hughes, courtesy of Campbellsville University; Jonathan A. Hughes, courtesy of Militarytimes.com)
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com
