Snapshots tell story of fallen soldier's life

Each of the more than 100 snapshots neatly laid out on the floor of Sally Wiley's study prompted a story about her son, Staff Sgt. Sean Diamond.

"Sean loved flying," Wiley said. "This is his son, Taylor, who is now 13, watching a plane."

Wiley went through the photos in preparation for the March 17 memorial service for Diamond, who was killed Feb. 15 in Iraq by an improvised explosive device.

"These are the twins when they were baptized in Berkeley," she said.

Diamond was one of twins, born on St. Patrick's Day 1967.

"He got confused with his brother all the time, so he got a perm in high school, otherwise no one could tell which brother was which."

It didn't work. When brother Michael's date came to the door on prom night, she kissed Sean and put his boutonniere on.

"Wrong kid," Wiley said.

Wiley was going through the photos so she could give them to a friend, who would scan them in and produce a slideshow.

Wiley is a native Nevadan, who was born in Churchill County Hospital. Her father was a district range manager for the Bureau of Land Management in Winnemucca from 1942 to 1954. His service is memorialized by Nevada cartoonist Lew Hymers, who drew the Carson Range appearing in The Record-Courier's banner.

What people here know about Diamond they learned through his mother, who has been enthusiastic in her support of the troops, and active in the Blue Star Moms, to support the mothers of those who are serving overseas.

Diamond never lived in Carson Valley. He was born in the Bay area and grew up in California, Florida and Colorado. Before Wiley moved here, he'd joined the U.S. Army and started his own family.

"I had the first grandchildren, two boys born on St. Patrick's Day, these photos were in Mom's wallet all of her life," Wiley said. "They had two girls and adopted a third. They always wanted a boy, and I hit the jackpot with twins."

Until they were 8 years old, Sean, Michael and their younger brother were mistaken for triplets.

Wiley and the boys' father were together for five years before they separated. She was on her own for five years before she married a steel executive and moved around the country with the boys.

Diamond became a young man in Colorado and joined the Army in 1987 after college failed to pan out after two years.

"He didn't know what he wanted so he dropped out of college," Wiley said.

He served until 1989 on active duty and then in the reserves. In the interim, he met his wife Loramay, and they had the first of their four children. He returned to the service in 2000.

"When I had my back surgery, I had 'Sgt. Sean Diamond' with the symbol for his unit on the cast," Wiley said holding up another picture.

"There's his little boy," she said of a picture of Diamond's son trying on his helmet.

She picked up a box containing cards and letters expressing condolences.

"There are letters from as far away as Delaware," she said. "There are so many here, I have no clue who most of them are. (Husband) Michael said there are 300, but I didn't have the heart to go through them."

Another smaller box contained the gifts and donations she received in her son's name.

"I asked the Blue Star Moms to put anything that needed a thank-you note here," she said.

While the photos are important, they are not the only mementos Wiley has of her son's service.

She has the receipts for every package she sent to Sean while he was serving his three tours in Iraq in a neat pack in her desk.

"He was important to me," she said. "I felt anything I did for him I had to do everything perfect and he would be safe."

A service is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Gall Catholic Church in Gardnerville. In addition to his mother, Diamond is survived by wife Loramay, children Taylor, Madison, Sean Riley and Athena, twin Michael, brother Jason, and father Jerry Diamond.

The National Guard will perform a military ceremony during the service, including a 21-gun salute and the presentation of the flag to Wiley and her family.