JACKSON - A Mississippi Army National Guard soldier from Meridian was killed in Iraq when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle, Guard officials said Thursday.
Sgt. Robert Shane Pugh, 25, died Wednesday near Iskandariyah, Iraq, Guard officials said.
"He was a great guy," said Chris Coffin, with whom Pugh worked at United Blood Services in Meridian. "He would just light up a room and he could lighten the spirit."
Lt. Col. Tim Powell, a Guard spokesman, said the circumstances surrounding Pugh's death are being investigated.
Pugh, who had been married almost a year, was a licensed paramedic and worked as phlebotomist for United Blood Services in Meridian, Coffin said.
Coffin said Pugh had worked with the company collecting blood for more than five years and had developed close relationships with employees and blood donors.
Coffin said Pugh was eager to learn about new technology in the field and had a unique way of touching the lives of those around him.
"He was just one of those great, personable guys," Coffin said. "He had a real positive impact on everyone around him."
Pugh, who was assigned to the Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry in McComb, was stationed in Iraq with the 155th Brigade Combat Team.
The combat team consists of nearly 3,500 soldiers from Mississippi, Arkansas and Vermont. The soldiers trained at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg and deployed in January.
Pugh is the fifth member of the unit to die in Iraq and the 25th soldier with Mississippi ties to die in the war on terror.
"The death of Robert Pugh is another great loss for the citizens of Mississippi," Gov. Haley Barbour said in a prepared statement. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends."
Maj. Gen. Harold A. Cross, the adjutant general of Mississippi, called Pugh a hero.
"The Mississippi National Guard once again faces the tragedy of losing another comrade in arms," Cross said. "This soldier is a true hero, and we all mourn his loss along with the Pugh family."
Funeral arrangements were incomplete.
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