 Columbus Dispatch -- A Far North Side man who graduated from Otterbein College was one of two members of the U.S.-led coalition killed when rockets struck Camp Victory, the U.S. military headquarters near Baghdad Airport, relatives said last night.
Army Reserve Spc. Samuel F. Pearson, 28, had been in Iraq for six weeks, sister-in-law Lindsay Pearson of Dayton said. His parents, Randi and Carolyn Pearson of Piqua, Ohio, learned from the military yesterday morning that their oldest of five children had been killed in the Wednesday attack.
Forty people were wounded in the attack, launched from a nearby abandoned school.
The attack on Camp Victory, reported by the military yesterday, wasn't the only major news coming out of Iraq. A U.S. attack killed 19 insurgents and 15 civilians, including nine children, in Anbar province yesterday, the Associated Press said.
The military said the attack was targeting senior leaders of al-Qaida in Iraq, but the incident is sure to heighten tensions between the Iraqi government and the U.S. military. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki recently confronted top American commander Gen. David Petraeus about what he sees as overly aggressive U.S. tactics that harm innocent civilians, according to Iraqi officials.
The incident at Camp Victory was unusual. While U.S. bases in Iraq frequently face rocket or mortar attacks, Camp Victory is well-entrenched on the capital's western outskirts and heavy casualties are rare.
Petraeus said the military had strong leads about who was behind the attack in which Pearson died.
Pearson was a "quiet guy, but a sweet guy," Lindsay Pearson said. "He was always there for his family."
After graduating from Piqua High School in 1998, Pearson went to Otterbein College, where he played football and majored in economics.
"Someone who works hard for their education and then represents their country -- it's just a tragedy," said Otterbein Athletics Director Dick Reynolds last night. "Having been in Vietnam myself, I know the tragedy of this thing. It's kind of hard to express."
Pearson graduated from Otterbein in 2003. He worked at several businesses in Columbus, but he wasn't satisfied.
"He wasn't doing what he wanted to do," Lindsay Pearson said.
After he signed up in September 2006, Pearson "really took a sense of pride" that he was serving in the reserve, his sister-in-law said.
He was deployed to Iraq in late August after completing basic combat training at Fort Jackson in Columbia, S.C. He was a specialist in the Army's finance corps, she said.
In addition to his parents and sister-in-law, Pearson is survived by his brothers, John, Andy and Rich, and his sister, Laura Pearson.
The military statement detailing yesterday's assault in which the civilians were killed said soldiers were acting on intelligence reports about an al-Qaida meeting in the Lake Tharthar region.
The American account said U.S. surveillance confirmed "activity consistent with the reports and supporting aircraft engaged the time-sensitive target." The first air attack killed "four terrorists," the statement said.
The military said it then tracked some of those who escaped the initial attack. It said ground forces moved on the site and came under fire. Air support was called in.
"After securing the area, the ground force assessed 15 terrorists, six women and nine children were killed," the statement said. Two suspected al-Qaida members, a woman and three children were wounded, according to the military account.
The statement also issued regret "that civilians are hurt or killed while Coalition forces search to rid Iraq of terrorism." |
I would like to say thank you to you and the other soldier who was also killed in that rocket attack for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family and loved ones, I wish to extend my deepest sympathy.
A grateful citizen