Army Spc. Ross E. Vogel III

Died September 29, 2009 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27, of Red Lion, Pa.; assigned to the 67th Signal Battalion, 35th Signal Brigade, Fort Gordon, Ga.; died Sept. 29 in Kut, Iraq, of injuries sustained in a noncombat-related incident.

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Was looking forward to being career soldier

The Associated Press

Christin Wiley says the changes in her brother were obvious when she last saw him around Christmas.

Ross Vogel wasn’t the skinny kid she grew up with; he was big and buff. It was a pleasant surprise.

“We’re used to scrawny little skater Ross with the long hair,” she said.

The transformation came after Vogel, of Red Lion, Pa., joined the Army, following in the footsteps of a brother in the Air Force. Vogel had decided to make the Army a career.

“He loved his career and fighting for his country,” said his stepfather, Chuck Wiley.

Vogel, 27, was on his third tour of duty in Iraq when he died Sept. 29 in Kut, Iraq, of noncombat injuries. He was assigned to Fort Gordon, Ga.

Vogel, who was home-schooled, was a football and hockey fan. He loved the Pittsburgh Steelers, and got to watch the Penguins win the Stanley Cup on television this summer with his mother, Mary Wiley.

He also liked cars and playing the drums.

He is survived by his wife, Kristen, and two sons, 12-year-old Logan and 5-year-old Ross IV.