Captain Kenneth A. Bailey U.S. Army

Captain Kenneth Arnold Bailey (November 27, 1969 - August 7, 2012) was a loving husband and father, a caring and skilled nurse, and U.S. Army soldier with 18 years military service to his country. He was an ICU nurse in A Company, Troop Command, San Antonio Military Medical Center, Ft. Sam Houston. He served two tours of duty in the Middle East, first in Iraq (2006) and then in Afghanistan (2011). He distinguished himself by his commitment to those civilian and military patients in his care, and by his leadership of personnel in his charge.

Ken Bailey began life in Hot Springs, Arkansas, with his twin, Kimberly, better known as Kimmy. Ken's biological parents were Robert and Anita Bailey. But Ken best remembered the mother who raised him, Robert's later wife, Marian Breland Bailey, known by her family and friends as "Mouse." None of the Bailey children suffered from lack of company: Robert Jr. and Laura were both born on September 25, 1960 (Laura deceased April, 1997); Lynn and Rae were both born on October 11, 1964, and Ken and Kimmy were both born on November 27, 1969 (Ken deceased August 7, 2012), and, yes, all were twins! Ken's parents were internationally known animal behaviorists and Ken's early life was filled with animals. All Bailey children were adept at caring for all kinds of animals, from domestic ducks and chickens, to more exotic peafowl, vultures, seagulls, raccoons, and lions and tigers and bears (Oh, my!); it was to them just a way of life, as well as a way of making money from the family business.

In high school young Ken organized a heavy metal band that played at various school and other functions. He was known for his humor and his Jr. high school and high school level pranks, which sometimes had unfortunate (for him) consequences at the time. In his later years he accepted his misadventures with grace and good humor. He worked at various jobs in Hot Springs until he joined the US Navy in 1989, beginning his military career at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center where his parents watched him graduate.

Seaman Bailey was selected for special electronics training and became a sonar technician and served aboard missile frigates home based on both coasts. It was in Pascagoula Louisiana that Ken took his proud parents, Robert and Marian, on a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico on the Good Ship Stark. The next few years were spent on deployments around the world.

On March 29, 1991, then U.S. Navy sonar tech Kenneth Bailey met Marilou Dacayana on a blind date in the Philippines. On February 14, 1993 he married Marilou. The Bailey's first set up housekeeping in San Diego, then Virginia and then back to San Diego. In that time they had two children, Alec (September 8, 1995) and Blake (September 16, 1997). It was in San Diego that the young Bailey decided that he wanted to be a nurse and help people. He was a double major student at San Diego State University; in the Department of Nursing; Political Science. He was on the Dean's List of outstanding students. Ken Bailey graduated and was commissioned Second Lieutenant, not in the Navy but in the Army, in May 2004. The newly minted Army Second Lieutenant was then posted to the medical facilities at Ft. Bragg, Fayetteville, North Carolina. He received commendations for excellence in medical competence and leadership. He received his captaincy in 2008. His most recent posting to San Antonio began in June, 2009.

Nine Eleven was a seminal event in Ken Bailey's student/military life. He was a nursing/political science student at San Diego State University. Student Bailey's first reaction was to immediately rejoin the military and enter the fight he knew was on the horizon. After reflection, his better judgment told him to finish his education and that he could contribute more as an officer and a nurse dedicated to helping those fighting men and women who were injured in battle. That was his vision. That is what he did.

Captain Bailey will be missed by his friends and colleagues. He will be missed for his competence and for his wit and humor under the stress of combat. He will be missed by both his superiors and his subordinates for his organizational and leadership skills. He will be missed by acquaintances and neighbors who knew him as a friend. Most of all, he will be missed as a husband, a father, a brother, and a son by the family that loved and respected him. A visitation will be held Tuesday, August 14, 2012 from 4:00 until 9:00 P.M. and funeral services will be Wednesday, August 15, 2012 at 10:00 A.M. at Colonial Funeral Home. Interment will follow at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery with full military honors.