Marine Cpl. Ross A. Smith

Died February 9, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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21, of Wyoming, Mich.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif.; attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward); killed Feb. 9 by an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq.

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Wyo. Marine killed by IED on third Iraq tour

WYOMING, Mich. — The Defense Department on Monday confirmed the death of a Marine from western Michigan who was killed in Iraq.

Cpl. Ross A. Smith, 21, of Wyoming, died Thursday from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Fallujah, the department said.

Smith was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif. Another member of the unit, Pfc. Javier Chavez Jr., 19, of Cutler, Calif., also was killed.

Smith’s death was first reported last week by his parents, who said they were notified of his death at their home near Grand Rapids on Thursday.

Smith was a June 2002 graduate of Wyoming Park High School who enlisted in the Marines before his senior year. He was on his third tour in Iraq and was months away from finishing his four-year obligation to the armed forces when he was killed, his family said.

— Associated Press