OHIO Mourners remember soldier as leader, mentor

MARIETTA, Ohio (AP) -- A soldier who died from injuries he suffered while in Iraq was remembered Saturday as being a leader for younger troops.
Spc. Allen Nolan, a member of the Army Reserve's 660th Transportation Company in Zanesville, was driving a fuel tanker Sept. 18 north of Baghdad when his convoy came under a missile attack and small-arms fire.
Nolan, 38, suffered severe burns and died at an Army medical center at Fort Sam Houston on Sept. 30.
"Allen Nolan frequently volunteered for the most complex and difficult mission in Iraq," Brig. Gen. Michael Beasley said after Nolan was buried in this southeast Ohio city. "He was an excellent mentor and trainer of younger soldiers."
The unit has had three members killed in action and been awarded 17 Purple Hearts.
Ray Whitmer III, pastor of Faith Bible Church in Williamstown, W.Va., said he told the 650 people at the church that "Allen Nolan often told people he was a father, husband, son and soldier, but foremost he was a Christian."
The service was closed to the press at the family's request.
A soldier from Nolan's unit had his leave extended four days so he could attend the funeral.
"What I will miss most about Allen is that he was always there if you needed help or counsel," said Spc. Robert Lovell, 36, of Holmes County.
Businesses along the way from the church to the Eastlawn Cemetery in Marietta displayed signs in support of the Nolan family.
, including one that read, "God bless the Nolan family" and another that said, "Our prayers are with the Nolan family."
Nolan had been in Iraq since February and was supposed to return home for two weeks' leave Sept. 20.
He is survived by his wife, Gail, and five children, ages 3 to 12.