Described as a "fun guy to be around" by one of his comrades, Senior Airman Jonathan Yelner of Ellsworth Air Force Base was also known as a dedicated soldier who didn't back down from missions. In fact, he volunteered for them, and even volunteered for a mission that wasn't necessarily his specialty.

Yelner, 24, was killed Tuesday by an improvised explosive device while on a convoy mission near Kabul, Afghanistan.

He volunteered specifically to join the provincial reconstruction team that was performing those missions in various areas of Afghanistan, according to Col. Scott Vander Hamm, commander of the 28th Bomb Wing.

The reconstruction team traveled to various towns, got to know the people and helped them rebuild and organize areas of their towns, Vander Hamm said.

Yelner, who was serving with the 755th Air Expeditionary Wing at Bagram Air Base, was driving the convoy truck when the IED exploded, according to reports.

A weapons loader for the 28th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron at Ellsworth, Yelner was doing a job not specific to his duties at Ellsworth while in Afghanistan, according to one of his friends, Senior Airman Andrew Grato.

"He volunteered to go help rebuild the infrastructure," Grato said. "What he did (at Ellsworth) had nothing to do with that at all."

During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Airmen are assisting with various missions that aren't necessarily specific to the Air Force, Vander Hamm said, and they are well-trained for such missions.

"Airmen are flexible," he said. "They train well, and they can do just about anything. And Jonathan was doing one of those types of missions."

Vander Hamm said Yelner was deployed four times during his four years in the Air Force, which included trips to Guam, Diego Garcia - an atoll in the Indian Ocean - and Iraq, in addition to Afghanistan.

"He was a very valiant Airman and serving a noble cause for his country," Vander Hamm said.

Vander Hamm said counseling and other services have been made available for the entire base - for the people who knew Yelner and those who didn't.

Grato knew Yelner on a personal as well as military level. Grato said he has known Yelner since Grato arrived on base in 2004. The two lived down the hall from each other in the dorms and became friends. "He was a lot of fun to be around, made people laugh," Grato said. "If you ever were down at all, he'd help keep your spirits up. He was just an overall fun guy to be around."

Grato said he remembers a time when his wife served pizza to Yelner, who was Jewish, without knowing he could eat only Kosher foods.

"It was just kind of funny to see the reaction he had," Grato said.

He said the loss is being felt throughout the base, both by those who knew Yelner well and those who didn't.

"He's going to be missed. He was a good guy," Grato said. "And I really feel for his family, because I know what I'm going through. It's going to be even worse for them."

A private memorial service will be held Tuesday, May 6, for Yelner in California. A memorial service will be held at Ellsworth Air Force Base on a date that has not been determined, Vander Hamm said.

Contact Ryan Woodard at 394-8412 or ryan.woodard@rapidcityjournal.com.