Fort Carson – Two soldiers assigned to a unit that is moving to Fort Carson were killed when a homemade bomb exploded near their Humvee in Iraq, the Pentagon said today.
Staff Sgt. Thor H. Ingraham, 24, of Murrysville, Pa., and Pfc. Nicolas E. Messmer, 20, of Franklin, Ohio, were killed Sunday in Khalidiyah.
Both were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division based at Camp Greaves, South Korea.
The brigade will move to Fort Carson when its tour of duty in Iraq ends this summer.
At least 57 soldiers from the 2nd Brigade and 51 other soldiers from Fort Carson-based units have died in Iraq.
Messmer joined the Army in August 2003, the summer after he graduated from Gahanna Lincoln High School in suburban Columbus, said his brother, Joe Messmer.
“He was the nicest, friendliest, happiest kid you could ever know. He wouldn’t hurt a fly,” Joe Messmer said. “He just went over there to defend his country and the Iraqis got him.”
Nicolas Messmer was scheduled to return home in July for his birthday, his brother said.
