Soldier killed in Iraq recently lived in Lacey

Two soldiers, including a 29-year-old who most recently lived in Lacey, Thurston County, died Saturday after an explosive detonated near their Humvee in Riyadh, Iraq.

Sgt. Velton Locklear III, 29, and Pfc. Kenneth E Kincaid IV, 25, of Lilburn, Ga., were in the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.

Locklear lived in Thurston County with his wife, Denise, and their two sons, before being shipped out this summer for his second tour in Iraq, said his sister-in-law Debbie Littlejohn.

Denise Locklear and sons Velton IV, 7, and Nathan, 5, moved to Honolulu this summer when Locklear was transferred from Fort Lewis, Littlejohn said.

"He was really nice, really compassionate. He had a great personality," Littlejohn said Tuesday in a phone interview from Honolulu. "You always felt comfortable around him."

Locklear, who originally was from Texas, joined the military, following in his father's footsteps.

"He obviously had that example, but it was something he wanted to do," Littlejohn said. "He loved being in the military."

A funeral date has not been set. Services will be in Texas.

"He loved being a father, he loved playing football and he loved being a husband," Littlejohn said. "He was a great guy."

Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com