Army Staff Sgt. Laurent J. West

Died March 11, 2008 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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32, of Raleigh, N.C.; assigned to the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 11 near Kishkishkia, Iraq, of wounds sustained when his vehicle encountered an improvised explosive device.

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N.C. men killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

Two soldiers from North Carolina have died in Iraq, including a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division, military officials said March 14.

They said Staff Sgt. Lauren J. West, 31, of Raleigh died March 11 of wounds he suffered when his vehicle hit a roadside bomb near Kishkihkia. West was a calvary scout with the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Calvary Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, based at Fort Bragg, N.C.

In addition, the Defense Department said a North Carolina man was one three soldiers who died March 12 in Tallil of wounds suffered when their vehicle was hit by indirect fire.

Staff Sgt. Juantrea T. Bradley, age 28, of Greenville, N.C., was assigned to the 7th Special Troops Battalion, 7th Sustainment Brigade, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), at Fort Eustis, Va.

Also killed were Pfc. Tenzin L. Samten, 33, of Prescott, Ariz., who also was assigned to Fort Eustis, and Spc. Dustin C. Jackson, 21, of Arlington, Texas, who was assigned to the 350th Adjutant General Company in Grand Prairie, Texas.

The military said West joined the Army in July 1993, first enlisting into the Chemical Corps, then reclassifying his military occupation in August 1998 to a calvary scout.

He had two deployments to Bosnia, from May 1998 to August 1998 and from March 2000 to September 2000. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart.

He is survived by his wife, Michelle, and two stepdaughters, Nistasha and Madison, all of Fort Bragg; his father, Larry West, of Green Spring, W.Va.; and his mother, Ilona Bauer.