Army Pfc. Aaron D. Gautier

Died May 17, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Hampton, Va.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.; died May 17 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when his mounted patrol came in contact with enemy forces using small-arms fire and an improvised explosive device.

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Hampton soldier killed by roadside bomb in Iraq

The Associated Press

HAMPTON, Va. — A Hampton soldier was among three killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their combat patrol in Iraq, the Defense Department said Friday.

Army Pvt. 1st Class Aaron Daniel Gautier, 19, died Thursday when his mounted patrol came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire and explosives.

Married in January, Gauthier had only been in the Army for 15 months, his family said. He was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division based at Fort Lewis, Wash.

Gautier dropped out of Bethel High School during his sophomore year after agreeing to immediately pursue his general equivalency diploma, his family said. He earned his GED just a few months before his 18th birthday, then enlisted in the Army.