Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton

Died May 21, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

---

24, of Erie, Pa.; assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Baumholder, Germany; killed May 21 by an improvised explosive device near Iskandariyah, Iraq.

---

Pennsylvania soldier killed in Iraq

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH — A soldier from Erie, Penn., whose tour was extended last year, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, according to his family.

Staff Sgt. Jeremy R. Horton, 24, died Friday near Iskandariyah, Iraq. Defense officials did not release further details, but relatives said Horton apparently was killed when his convoy was stopped for another roadside bomb.

Horton reportedly stepped from his vehicle and a second bomb went off, killing him and wounding three other soldiers, said his uncle, Rich Wittenburg, 54, of Erie. Horton died from shrapnel in his head, Wittenburg said.

Horton joined the Army right out of high school, hoping to get money for college, but ended up finding his place in the military. He was a member of Company B, 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division, based in Baumholder, Germany.

“He certainly loved his family and loved his country and loved being in the military. It was what he wanted to do. We need more like him,” Wittenburg said.

Horton played both the saxophone and drums in high school and played in bands where he was stationed, his uncle said.

Horton is survived by his wife, Christie, whom he married shortly after joining the Army.

A memorial service was planned for Thursday in Germany and he will be buried June 2 in Erie, his uncle said.