Fort Lewis soldier is killed in Iraq

By Seattle Times staff

Joshua Ladd

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Ladd, identified Tuesday by the Department of Defense, served in a Mississippi National Guard unit attached to the 44th Corps.

Ladd signed up for the Mississippi National Guard at the age of 17, while still in high school, according to The Neshoba Democrat, a hometown newspaper.

Relatives said he was proud and eager to serve in Iraq.

"Some people, you just don't think about it, but being in the service suited him," Ladd's aunt Linda Houston told The Neshoba Democrat. "When Josh walked in with his uniform on, it just looked right."

In Iraq, the 44th has shuttled supplies to the Fort Lewis Stryker brigade, which is now helping to provide security in northern Iraq.

The 44th often has had to navigate perilous routes, where insurgents lay roadside bombs and attack with rocket-propelled grenades. As a support battalion, the unit was not designed with the kind of heavy armor that frontline units receive. Yet in Iraq, attacks can happen all over the country and support units have been frequent targets.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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