Tracy Laramore

Fallen Hero’s Hometown and State: Escondido, CA, CA

Branch of Service: United States Army

Rank: Army Spc.

Army Spc. Tracy L. Laramore , Died March 17, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom. 30, of Okaloosa, Fla.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, Schweinfurt, Germany; died March 17 of injuries sustained when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle went over an embankment and flipped over into a river in Baji, Iraq.

Spc. Tracy L. Laramore loved overseas military duty and after one two-year stint was up, he re-enlisted and even extended his time by five months so that he could continue service in Iraq. The 30-year-old from Okaloosa, Fla., died March 17 in Baji, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in overturned into a river. He was most recently based in Schweinfurt, Germany.

“Everywhere he went, he had friends,” his mother, Faye West, said. “He told me to keep in touch with all of them while he was in Iraq.” At age 24, Laramore was the oldest enlistee at Fort Benning, Ga., but outperformed younger recruits to the amazement of other soldiers, his mother said.

Age: 20

Date of Death: March 17, 2004