Army Pfc. Jacob T. Tracy

Died June 18, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Palestine, Ill.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died June 18 in Balad, Iraq, of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad.

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Illinois serviceman killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

PALESTINE, Ill. — A 20-year-old soldier from southeastern Illinois was killed last weekend in Iraq, Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn’s office said June 21.

The family of Army Pfc. Jacob Tracy of Palestine reported that he was fatally injured when his vehicle struck an improvised explosive device in Baghdad either June 17 or June 18, Quinn spokeswoman Elizabeth Austin said.

Tracy, who was attached to the 8th Cavalry Regiment based in Fort Hood, Texas, was born in Paris, Ill., and attended elementary and high school in Palestine, according to a written statement released by Quinn’s office at the request of the family.

He enlisted in the Army in August 2006 and had been deployed in Iraq since March, his parents, Don and Sheila Tracy, said in the statement.

“He was a special gift,” said his mother, “He was a loving boy. Were just thankful that we had him the time that we did.”

Funeral services were scheduled for June 27 at Palestine Elementary School.

Tracy is survived by his parents, two sisters, his grandparents and a great-grandmother.

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Family, friends remember soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

When Cyndi Brock was working at a supermarket, she looked forward to the times when Army Pfc. Jacob T. Tracy would stop by and gobble up pickles.

“He was always goofing off,” Brock said, “and making everything just a lot better to be at work.”

Tracy, 20, of Palestine, Ill., died June 18 in Balad, Iraq, from injuries he suffered when a bomb detonated near his vehicle June 17 in Baghdad. He was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas.

“He was a lot of fun,” said Mandie Campbell, an ex-girlfriend.

“He was never boring.” He was always making jokes and was “kind of sarcastic,” Campbell said.

“Like you couldn’t be mean to him because once you did, he’d say something that’d make you laugh,” she added, “and you just couldn’t be mad anymore.”

Tracy, who dropped out of high school his senior year and got into some minor trouble with the law, wanted to turn his life around. He passed a GED test before leaving for Iraq.

“He told us that he wanted to make me and his dad proud,” said his mother, Sheila. “He knew he needed discipline in his life and structure, and he knew the Army would give it to him.”

He also is survived by his father, Don.