The 22-year-old soldier was killed in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on Thursday. His job was to help train Iraqi national guard troops.An Army spokeswoman said Friday that no one else was killed in the explosion. No further information was available.
Tuscaloosa News -- Army Sgt. John Mac Smith, on his second tour of duty in Iraq, was killed this week when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, the Army said. The 22-year-old soldier was killed in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on Thursday. His job was to help train Iraqi national guard troops.
An Army spokeswoman said Friday that no one else was killed in the explosion. No further information was available.
Smith's family has received an outpouring of support from the community, said his father Glenn Smith. His son always wanted to be buried in a national cemetery, his father said, so his family plans to bury him in Wilmington National Cemetery, blocks from where Smith spent his childhood.
"He will have a full military funeral," the elder Smith said. "We want his memory to be served."
Smith enlisted in the Army in 2000 after graduating from New Hanover High School and was assigned to the 11th Armored Calvary Regiment of Fort Irwin, Calif.