Army Staff Sgt. Edward W. Carman

Died April 17, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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27 of McKeesport, Pa.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 12th Armored Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed April 17 when his tank’s track broke, causing the driver to lose control, and the tank rolled off a bridge in Baghdad.

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Pennsylvania soldier dies in Iraq

Associated Press

McKEESPORT, Pa. — A western Pennsylvania native and father of two young children died in Iraq when a track on the tank in which he was riding broke and the vehicle rolled off a bridge, an official said.

Army Staff Sgt. Ed Carman, 25, a native of McKeesport, died Saturday near Baghdad. He was in A Company, 2-12 Armor of the 1st Calvary Division, based out of Fort Hood, Texas, said Maj. Greg Yesko of the 99th Regional Support Command, based outside of Pittsburgh.

Carman’s mother, Joanna Hawthorne, told the McKeesport Daily News that the McKeesport High School graduate joined the Army over her objections. He was serving his second tour of duty when he died.

But Carman believed there are a lot of good people in Iraq and he was helping them, Hawthorne said.

“It just doesn’t seen right,” Hawthorne said. “He always had such an insight into humanity and how to make the world better.”

Carman is survived by a 4-year-old daughter and a 1-year-old son, Hawthorne said.

He was a high school wrestler and a good student who hoped to settle down in Texas one day, his mother said.

Carman’s family arranged a viewing and funeral through Willig Funeral Home & Cremation Services in McKeesport. A funeral was scheduled for Saturday, Yesko said.

“He loved the Army and he used to tell me the tank is the safest place to be,” Hawthorne said. “And that’s where he was killed.”