 WRAL -- Apex, N.C. — A North Carolina Army National Guard soldier from Apex has died in Iraq, officials said Monday.
Spc. Lance Oliver Eakes, 25, a member of the 1132nd Military Police Company was killed Friday while on a combat patrol near Baghdad, officials said. Two other members of the 1132nd were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off as the soldiers returned from a meeting with Iraqi police, officials said.
Eakes, who graduated from Apex High School in 2001, joined the 1132nd in January 2003 before transferring to the 105th Military Police Battalion, which deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He returned to the 1132nd last May and mobilized for a second tour in Iraq a month later.
He was promoted posthumously to the rank of sergeant.
The 1132nd, headquartered in Rocky Mount, has about 120 soldiers stationed in Baghdad. They are scheduled to return to North Carolina this fall.
Eakes is the ninth N.C. National Guard soldier killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
I would just like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
Military Police Corps Regimental Prayer
By Chaplain Major Michael Yarman
Heavenly Father-We approach You today because You have called us to be a people of prayer.
We praise You because You are our Creator, our Redeemer and our Provider.
We acknowledge our great need for You as we fulfill our mission as soldiers.
We have been called to serve our nation as Military Police and we are proud of the honored heritage of the Regiment and our motto: Of the Troops and For the Troops.
Whether we are fighting an enemy, securing an area, patrolling the streets, or helping someone in distress, help us, O Lord, to always be men and women of integrity who can be counted on to do the right thing.
Give us the strength to stand for what is right and to oppose those who would do harm to our nation and the people we serve.
May we always be truthful in Word, Deed, and Signature, and bring honor through our service to the memory of those in the Regiment who gave the supreme sacrifice for their country.
Guide us now, Father, by giving us wisdom and knowledge from on high, that as Military Police we will always be prepared to Assist, Protect, and Defend.
A grateful citizen