Army Pfc. Thomas Ray Leemhuis, 23, of Anadarko, and Army Sgt. Ryan M. Wood, 22, of Oklahoma City, were killed Thursday morning in northeast Baghdad when a roadside bomb tore through their Bradley fighting vehicle.

A Bradley is a well-armed, tracked armored vehicle capable of carrying troops.

Five soldiers in the Bradley, Leemhuis and Wood among them, reportedly were killed in the explosion.

The Department of Defense as of Sunday night had not confirmed the deaths of Wood and Leemhuis, but their families said they have been notified by military officials.

Patty Leemhuis of Anadarko said her son was due to return home in four weeks from his tour of duty in Iraq.

The last contact she had with him was through an e-mail June 18, she said.

"He wrote that he loved me, and that he would be home soon. He also told me to stay strong," she said.

Leemhuis said her son believed in what he had to do in Iraq, and that he loved being with his Army buddies and serving the country.

She said her son believed that it was better to keep the war in Iraq rather than it being in the United States.

Leemhuis said her son -- with the 126th Infantry, Charlie Company -- was a gunner on the Bradley vehicle

Wood's stepfather, Scott Vincent of Oklahoma City, described Wood as a lifelong patriot who followed in the footsteps of both grandfathers who served in the military.

"What really got him going," Vincent said, "was the 9/11 attacks. He wanted to do his part for his country, and he loved serving in Iraq."

Wood, who would have turned 23 on July 11, was scheduled to return home in December after his second tour in Iraq.

Vincent said an Army casualty officer, along with Wood's commanding officer, confirmed for the family that both Wood and Leemhuis were in the same Bradley vehicle when it was struck by a bomb.

Vincent said the two had known each other while in Iraq and were in the same company, but their coming together in the same vehicle was due to a rotational happenstance.

"That wasn't his regular assignment," Vincent said of Wood, who was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division, 26th Battalion, Charlie Company.

Vincent said Wood, whom he has known all his life, loved to draw.

"Last Monday, he received an acceptance from the University of Central Oklahoma at Edmond. He wanted to go there and receive a degree, and continue with his artwork," Vincent said.

"He was a wonderful young man," Vincent said. "He was sweet, and he loved everyone and everything. He was the sweetest you could ever know. He was a lover."

Vincent said his stepson was raised in Oklahoma City and graduated in 2002 from Putnam City North High School. Wood joined the Army right after graduating.

Vincent said the last time the family saw him was for a short while last December.

"Ryan felt Iraq was a job we had to finish. It wasn't something we could walk away from," Vincent said. "He was dedicated to being there, and he was extremely well-loved by all his men."

Patty Leemhuis said her son was a fun-loving young man who enjoyed cracking jokes, playing video games and the company of his younger brother, Paul, and their cousin, Gilbert Leemhuis, who is now in the Army and planning to go to Iraq in August.

She said her son was born in Lawton, but grew up in Binger in Caddo County. He graduated from Binger-Olney High School, where he was a basketball standout and a baseball team manager.

"His No. 1 football team was the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and he loved to wear his Nebraska hat around the University of Oklahoma.

"He loved to push it to the limit," Patty Leemhuis of her son's fun-loving nature.

She said her son joined the Army in 2005 after the death of his uncle, Melvin Jody Stevens, a Vietnam veteran.

She said her son was inspired by his uncle's service to the country, and felt he wanted to follow in his footsteps.

Leemhuis said her son had dreams of becoming a police officer after the Army.

She said at first he had thought of becoming a teacher and basketball coach, but then turned his thoughts to becoming a police officer "because he hated drugs."

Funeral arrangements are pending for both soldiers.

Along with his mother, Leemhuis is survived his father, Paul Whitehorn of Birmingham, Ala.; a brother, Paul, 17, of Binger; and three sisters, Stephanie Leemhuis, 27, of Dublin, Calif., Renee Whitehorn, 19, of Anadarko and Dream Cox, 12, of Birmingham, Ala.

In addition to his stepfather, Wood is survived by his mother, Renee Vincent; his father, Bonner Wood of Piedmont; three sisters, Candice Bunce, 26, of Moore, Jenifer Campbell, 24, and Stephanie Wood, 21, both of Oklahoma City; and a brother, Scott Vincent Jr., 23, of Oklahoma City.

Manny Gamallo 581-8386
manny.gamallo@tulsaworld.com