Army Sgt. Ronald L. Coffelt

Died July 19, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

---

36, of Fair Oaks, Calif.; assigned to the 503rd Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade (Airborne), XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died July 19 in Baghdad of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device.

---

Fair Oaks soldier dies in Baghdad bomb attack

The Associated Press

FAIR OAKS, Calif. — Sgt. Ronald Coffelt was devoted to his country and his children and died doing what he wanted to do, his family said.

Coffelt, 36, of Fair Oaks, died July 19 of wounds suffered when a bomb exploded in Baghdad, the Defense Department said.

The father of five, who died during his second tour of duty in Iraq, joined the Army when he graduated from high school, his brother-in-law, Brian Conner, 33, told the San Francisco Chronicle.

“He was fully aware of what he would be facing. He knew what his duties would be, and he had no problems doing his duties,” Conner said.

At home in Fort Bragg, N.C., Coffelt enjoyed coaching Little League and umpiring baseball games.

“He loved being involved with his children. He was so eager to get back home. He missed his kids,” his father, Robert Coffelt of Fair Oaks, told The Sacramento Bee.

Coffelt served eight years in the Army, spent five years as a civilian and then joined the National Guard, deploying in 2005 for a one-year tour of Iraq. He joined the Army again after returning to the U.S. and returned to Iraq for his second yearlong tour.

“He always wanted to be in the Army, and he was sorry he got out of it the first time,” his father said. “He was third-generation Army, and he was proud of that.”

Coffelt was assigned to the 503rd Military Police Battalion, 16th Military Police Brigade, XVIII Airborne Corps, based in Fort Bragg, N.C.

Along with his children and father, Coffelt is survived by his wife, mother, grandmother and sister.