The Department of Defense said Army Spc. William Elliott Allmon, 25, whose hometown is listed as Ardmore, died Saturday in Baghdad.

Allmon was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team of the 3rd Infantry Division, based at Fort Stewart, Ga.

Michelle White, a family friend, said Allmon, who was born and raised in Rome, Ga., had lived in Ardmore for about 18 months while engaged in construction work.

White said details were sketchy from the family on when Allmon had lived in Ardmore. However, White said none of the Allmon family lives in Oklahoma.

“The majority of the family lives in Georgia, a few in Texas,” she said.

A memorial statement released by the family said Allmon, of Summerville, Ga., was a “proud soldier . . . who was constantly joking and making everyone laugh.”

He was described as a loving husband and caring father, and “a true friend to not only his Army buddies, but those close to him, as well.”

Allmon had been married for nearly five years.

He and his wife, Jennifer, have a 3-year-old son, Damien, along with stepson Jason “Luke” Johnson, 11.

“He loved to play outdoors with his son and stepson, and in his spare time he enjoyed computer games, Internet and watching movies,” the family statement said.

Allmon was in the Army for five years and reportedly was in his second tour of

His family said he was a combat engineer, and his unit was better known as the “Dawgs Of War.”

Part of his duties in Iraq reportedly involved the construction of protective structures for friendly forces.

Along with his wife, son and stepson, Allmon is survived by his father and stepmother, William and Tina Allmon of Cartersville, Ga.; his mother, Donna Fortune of Guyton, Ga.; and his grandparents, all of Georgia.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

Allmon is the 76th person with Oklahoma ties — including soldiers, Marines and civilians — to have been killed in Iraq since hostilities began a little more than five years ago, according to a Tulsa World count.

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