Ex-Elyria soldier killed in combat in Iraq

ELYRIA (AP) -- A soldier who grew up in Ohio was killed Sunday during combat operations in Iraq, the Defense Department said Thursday.
Master Sgt. Robert H. West, 37, of Elyria, was conducting combat operations in Baghdad when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, the Defense Department said.
He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 312th Regiment, Clinton, N.C.
West joined the Army in 1988 after graduating from high school and recently had been at posted at bases in Kentucky and West Virginia, The (Elyria) Chronicle Telegram reported.
He is survived by his wife, Jeannie West, and the couple's 11-year-old daughter, Shelby, who live in Arvada, Colo., the newspaper said.
Elyria is south of Lorain and west of Cleveland.
The Department of Defense did not provide any other information on West's death.