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Paratroopers killed in Iraq bombing identified

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — The military identified the nine 82nd Airborne Division paratroopers killed this week in a suicide truck bombing in Iraq.

They were 1st Lt. Kevin J. Gaspers, 26, of Hastings, Neb.; Spc. Jerry R. King, 19, of Browersville, Ga.; Pfc. Garrett C. Knoll, 23, of Bad Axe, Mich.; Staff Sgt. Kenneth E. Locker Jr., 28, of Wakefield, Neb.; Sgt. Randell T. Marshall, 22, of Fitzgerald, Ga.; Staff Sgt. William C. Moore, 27, of Benson; Sgt. Brice A. Pearson, 32, of Phoenix; Spc. Michael J. Rodriguez, 20, of Sanford; and Sgt. Michael L. Vaughan, 20, of Otis, Ore.

All were members of the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team at Fort Bragg. The 3,500-member brigade, one of four infantry brigades in the 82nd Airborne Division, deployed to Iraq in August.

The explosion Monday also injured 20 soldiers from the same unit. It was the largest single death toll for the 82nd Airborne since the Vietnam War and marked the single greatest loss of life for American ground forces in Iraq since December 2005.

The 3rd Brigade Combat Team also announced on Thursday that it will hold a private memorial service next month for its 37 paratroopers killed in Iraq since August, including the nine soldiers who died in a truck bombing this week. Hardest hit has been the brigade’s 73rd Cavalry Regiment, a reconnaissance and scout unit that has lost 20 paratroopers.

The May 8 memorial service will be open to members of the 82nd Airborne and their families, division spokesman Maj. Tom Earnhardt said. “This is an effort to add some closure for the families and rear personnel.”