Army Cpl. Ryan D. Collins

Died May 18, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Vernon, Texas; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska; died May 18 in Hamiyah, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire.

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Soldier from Texas killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

A 20-year-old soldier from the small North Texas town of Vernon has been killed in Iraq, the Department of Defense said Tuesday.

Cpl. Ryan D. Collins died Saturday in Hamiyah after being wounded the day before when his unit came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. The circumstances of his death are being investigating, the Defense Department said.

Collins’ stepfather, David Logsdon, said that Collins grew up in Vernon and graduated from high school there in 2004, working in Logsdon’s cabinet shop for about a year before joining the military.

“He wanted to make a difference,” said Logsdon, who added that Collins wanted to make a career out of the military.

“He did love what he was doing,” he said. “He made us proud.”

Logsdon said that Collins had been set to come home on leave around the second weekend in May, but he let another soldier who had a newborn take that leave instead. Collins was then set to come home on leave around Memorial Day weekend.

Collins was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division at Fort Richardson, Alaska.

Logsdon said that Collins liked to play basketball, shoot his pellet gun and loved to listen to all kinds of music.

In addition to Logsdon, Collins is also survived by his mother, Danita Logsdon, his father Lynn Collins, a brother and two half brothers.

Funeral services are pending.