Western Ohio soldier killed by explosive

WAPAKONETA, Ohio (AP) — A soldier from western Ohio died in Iraq when his vehicle struck an explosive, the U.S. Defense Department said Monday.

Spc. Jon Michael Schoolcraft III, 26, a 2001 graduate of Wapakoneta High School, was killed Saturday in Taji, the military said.

“He loved his family very much,” said his mother, Cynthia Ann Schoolcraft. “He liked to kid around, and he was a good person and a good soldier.”

Schoolcraft had been assigned to the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii.