Army Spc. Kyle P. Norris

Died May 23, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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22, of Zanesville, Ohio; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.; died May 23 in Balad, Iraq, from wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

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Brother: Soldier killed in Iraq loved family, country

The Associated Press

BELLE VALLEY, Ohio — An American flag was flying at half staff May 27 outside the home of a solider from eastern Ohio who died in Iraq.

Kyle Phillip Norris, 22, was struck by a roadside bomb on Thursday in Iskandariyah, a town 30 miles south of Baghdad, and died later in a hospital in Iraq, his brother Michael Norris said. Family members in this village about 90 miles east of Columbus were notified of his death Friday.

“He wanted to protect his country,” his brother, 27, said. “He wanted to protect freedom for his family and his friends.”

Kyle Norris also loved to spend time with friends, whether it was playing video games or playing a game of paint ball.

Michael Norris said his brother attended Muskingum Christian Academy in Zanesville for several years and was also home-schooled. He joined the Army three years ago, arrived in Iraq in October and was recently promoted to specialist, his brother said.

Norris said his brother wanted to do what he could for his fellow soldiers.

“If he was sick and they told him to take it easy for a few days, he wouldn’t sit back,” Norris said. “He wanted to be out there with everyone.”

Norris last spoke to his brother on the morning of May 21 and said their mother spoke to him that evening. He was due to return home on leave at the end of July and was planning to propose to his girlfriend, his brother said.

He had hoped to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol after finishing his Army service, Norris said.

The soldier’s body will be flown into Zanesville Municipal Airport later this week, and the family has requested that his cousin, who is also serving in Iraq, be allowed to escort the body home, Norris said. Funeral arrangements were pending with Snouffer Funeral Home in Zanesville.

“He was doing what he loved to do,” his brother said. “He said he was loving it.”

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Army Pfc. Kyle P. Norris remembered

The Associated Press

Kyle P. Norris was the type of guy who wanted to go all out for his fellow soldiers.

“If he was sick and they told him to take it easy for a few days, he wouldn’t sit back,” said his older brother, Michael Norris. “He wanted to be out there with everyone. He wanted to be out there with the other guys.”

Norris, 22, of Zanesville, Ohio, died May 23 in Balad from wounds suffered when his vehicle struck an explosive May 22 in Jurf as Sakhr. He was assigned to Fort Stewart and had hoped to join the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

“He was an excellent soldier,” said Michael Norris, a brother.

“He was always sticking his neck out to make sure that he and his fellow soldiers were getting the job done.”

Norris attended Muskingum Christian Academy for several years and was then home-schooled. He loved to spend time with friends, whether it was playing video games or playing a game of paint ball.

“He was an awesome brother. He was all about family,” said Michael Norris. “Everybody loved him. No one ever said one bad thing about him.”

He also is survived by his mother, Neva, and his fiancee, Courtney Wilson.