FORT CARSON, Colo.-
A Fort Carson-based soldier from Warren, Ohio, was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, the military said Friday.
Sgt. Robert M. Carr, 22, died in Baghdad Tuesday when the device exploded near his vehicle in Baghdad, a statement said.
He was a member of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
Family members told The Gazette of Colorado Springs outside the post that Carr joined the Army right after high school and was completing his second tour in Iraq. Jeff Carr, Robert Carr’s father, said his son was looking forward to settling into married life and pursuing his dream of becoming a professional fighter after leaving the Army this year.
“He was supposed to come home for two weeks leave” for the couple’s one-year anniversary next month, Nina Carr, his wife said.
Chris Wortman, his mother, said her son played football and lifted weights competitively while in high school and started meeting with an Army recruiter while still in his early teens.
His older brother enlisted before him, Wortman said, and Robert became so focused on following that he would eat prepackaged military meals even while at home.
Sgt. Matt Carr, 26, was returning from Iraq as his brother enlisted. The elder Carr said he talked to his brother about what he had seen while there, but it did not change his mind.
“I thought it was an honor” that he chose the same path, Matt Carr said. “I did my best to guide him.”
During a planned career as a professional wrestler or as an “ultimate” fighter, which involves a combination of martial arts, Matt Carr said his brother told him he wanted him in his corner.
At the end of last month, the post in Colorado Springs had reported 189 deaths in Iraq.
