OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- An Army soldier
from Oklahoma was among 18 troops listed by
U.S. officials Tuesday as having been killed in
Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Erickson H. Petty, 28, of Fort Gibson
was killed by small-arms fire Monday while providing security at a weapons cache
in Salman Al Habb, Iraq, the
Department of Defense said.
Petty was assigned to Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion,
35th Armor Regiment, 1st Armored Division at Smith Barracks in Baumholder, Germany,
the department said.
Petty's brother, Kyle Petty,
told KJRH, channel 2, in Tulsa
that while growing up in eastern
Oklahoma, Eric Petty knew he
wanted to be a soldier.
The brother said he would
travel with his parents to Germany on Wednesday to help
with funeral arrangements. He
said Petty was married and had
a 9-year-old son.
Fort Gibson lowered flags to
half-staff Tuesday in honor of
Petty, a 1993 graduate of Fort
Gibson High School.
Petty would have turned 29 on
Tuesday.
