Citizen-Times -- FLETCHER - Although William Scott Kinzer Jr. attended Fletcher Academy for just two years, he left a lasting impression with those he met.

A 27-year-old Army sergeant, Kinzer, who went by "Scott," died Wednesday in Ad Duluiyah, Iraq, from injuries sustained when a rocket-propelled grenade hit his patrol. His classmates took the news of his death hard.

"He was a wonderful, kind person," said Erin Teague, who graduated with Kinzer in 1996 and now works at the director of the academy's office of advancement. "If he was given a job to do, he always did it to the best of his abilities."

Kinzer's parents in Salem, S.C., asked not to be contacted, Teague said.

Kinzer came to Fletcher Academy, a boarding school on Howard Gap Road, for his junior and senior years. He competed on the gymnastics team and was well liked in his class, which graduated 23 students.

"As a classmate who works here, I took it upon myself to contact all of the classmates. I had to say over and over again, 'Scott is dead, Scott is dead,'" Teague said, tears welling in her eyes. "We're all just shocked that someone so young, someone who's part of our group, had died."

Kinzer was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, based in Schweinfurt, Germany, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

Asheville resident Scott Hege, who also was in Kinzer's class, remembers him as guy anyone could talk to.

"He was just one of the really, really nice people," Hege said. "This has made me realize that I'm not 18 anymore, and on the other hand, 27 is too young to be dead."

Kinzer is the fourth soldier with connections to Western North Carolina to die in Iraq.