Army Pfc. John F. Landry Jr.

Died March 17, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Lowell, Mass.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Bliss, Texas; died March 17 in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle during combat operations. Also killed were Army Sgt. John E. Allen, Army Sgt. Ed Santini and Army Pfc. William N. Davis.

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Massachusetts soldier dies in Iraq

The Associated Press

LOWELL, Mass. — An Army private who died in Iraq is the first Lowell resident to lose his life in the war, officials said March 19.

Pfc. John Landry Jr., 20, died over the weekend, said Joseph Dussault, the city’s veteran’s services director. Other details of Landry’s death had not been released March 19.

Pamela Landry, the soldier’s mother, told The Boston Globe that he said goodbye to his parents on March 7 after spending time in Florida with them while home on leave. She told the newspaper he died March 17.

She recalled a line from a letter that her son had written recently as he recounted scoring a perfect 6-for-6 on a marksmanship test.

“ ‘Don’t worry about me, mom,’ ” Pamela Landry said, quoting from the letter. “ ‘I’ll be OK.’ ”

“It’s terribly sad to lose someone so young with his entire life ahead of him,” Mayor William Martin said. “Private Landry was a true hero who gave his life for his country and we are all grateful for his sacrifice. The entire city’s thoughts and prayers are with Private Landry and his family.”

The flag outside city hall was lowered to half-staff.

Landry is the son of John and Pamela Landry and was a graduate of Lowell Catholic High School. He served as a rifleman with the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, in the 4th Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Cavalry Division, based at Fort Hood, Texas.

“John was a patriot, who answered his country’s call to duty and made the ultimate sacrifice,” U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan said in a statement.