Army Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing

Died May 28, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Phoenix; assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 28 in Abu Sayda, Iraq, of wounds sustained when their vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Also killed were1st Lt. Kile G. West, Cpl. Zachary D. Baker, Cpl. James E. Summers and Spc. Alexandre A. Alexeev.

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Army sergeant from Phoenix dies while serving in Iraq

By The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — A 22-year-old soldier from Arizona has died while serving in Iraq, Army officials said Friday.

Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing, of Phoenix, was among five soldiers killed Monday when their vehicle was struck by an explosive in Abu Sayda, according to the Department of Defense.

All five soldiers were assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Military officials identified the other four soldiers killed in the attack as Army 1st Lt. Kile G. West, 23, Pasadena, Texas; Army Cpl. Zachary D. Baker, 24, Vilonia, Ark.; Army Cpl. James E. Summers, III, 21, Bourbon, Mo.; and Army Spc. Alexandre A. Alexeev, 23, Wilmington, Calif.

Ewing graduated from Avondale’s Westview High School in 2003 before enlisting in the Army.

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Soldier killed in Iraq recalled as infectiously optimistic

The Associated Press

Ashley Logan first got to know Army Sgt. Anthony D. Ewing in the fifth grade. “He was always an outgoing, optimistic person,” said Logan. “He always made people smile no matter what.”

Ewing, 22, of Phoenix, Ariz., was killed May 28 when his vehicle struck an explosive in Abu Sayda, Iraq. He was a 2003 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas. His father, John Ewing, who served in the Air Force, said his son believed every man should serve at least two years in the military. He joined at 19, at about the time his older brother was deployed to Iraq.

Ewing “was a guy you could always count on to pick you up,” said Capt. Mike A. Punaro. He “was an outstanding motivator that could make you feel better with nothing but his signature smile and a wisecrack.”

He also is survived by his mother and stepfather, Pamela and Matthew Brown.

Julie Jones, a teacher, described Ewing as a bit of a class clown, the kind of student she could not bring herself to discipline for minor interruptions because they were often funny.

“He was just one of those kids you really liked,” Jones said.