Eric Holman loved being in the Army and was always willing, those who know him say, to tackle the most dangerous of jobs for his country and fellow soldiers.

Staff Sgt. Eric S. Holman, 39, who was raised in the Mt. Nebo area of Ohio Township, was killed on Wednesday by an enemy improvised explosive device in Ghazni province in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense announced.

Holman, a 1990 graduate of Avonworth High School, was a member of the Golden Knights parachute team before becoming an explosive ordnance disposal specialist. He deployed to Afghanistan in January and was scheduled to return home next month.

“He loved the Army. That's what he wanted to do. He wanted to retire as a soldier,” said his stepmother, Jan Holman, as she and other family members waited Friday night at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. “He loved his job. He wanted to be deployed. He had looked forward to being deployed.”

She said the family has not been told much about Holman's death and don't know if he was trying to defuse a device that exploded or if he possibly stepped on one.

But the family does know that Holman died “doing what he loved to do,” Jan Holman said.

Holman was the son of David L. Holman of Evans City, a Vietnam veteran, and Carol S. Holman of Franklin Park.

“My husband and he were best buddies,” Jan Holman said. “My husband and he talked every week. The last time they talked was over the weekend.”

Eric Holman was a 1995 Penn State graduate with a degree in criminal justice. He went to work for his father's trucking company and started his own limousine service. He also spent time as a construction worker.

“He thoroughly enjoyed parachuting and taught others how to parachute,” Jan Holman said. “He joined the military about nine years ago because he wanted to learn how to fly.”

Holman, originally a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, was assigned to the 192nd Ordnance Battalion, 52nd Ordnance Group, 20th Support Command and stationed in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Holman and his wife, Terri Holman, adopted a Russian boy five years ago. Misha Holman, 7, lives with his mother in Beaver County,

“Eric was a great guy. He was a very intelligent person, very methodical. He loved his son and was a great father to Misha,” Holman said.

Holman also is survived by his sister, Lisa Long of Evans City, and a brother, Kevin Holman of Edinboro in Erie County.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete.

Michael Hasch is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at 412-320-7820 or at mhasch@tribweb.com.

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