East Tennessee Heartland

Three families’ and a community’s worst fears were realized Monday when it was learned a local National Guard Soldier was killed and two other local guard troops were injured in Iraq on Sunday.

Joseph (Joey) D. Hunt, 27, a 1996 Sweetwater High School graduate, was killed a family member confirmed.

Hunt, the son of Tim and Marsha Hunt, had been a guardsmen since 2000, according to previous information submitted to The Advocate & Democrat.

’He was very proud of what he was doing,’ a family member said.

The family said Hunt served with the Sweetwater-based guard unit.

He had two sons, Caleb and Joshua.

Hunt’s grandparents are Bernie and Suella Cantrell and Ruben and Joyce Hunt, all of Sweetwater.

Sources told The Advocate & Democrat that Hunt’s parents learned of their son’s death late Monday evening.

The family of Hunt would appreciate those seeking information about Hunt’s death in Iraq continue to respect the family’s desire and need to grieve in private. They simply do not know many details of the incident and do not wish to speculate on such matters at this time.

Sources said he was killed by a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) that went off as the convoy he was part of passed by, but no official information had been released by National Guard officials as of late Tuesday afternoon.

Also injured in the Sunday attack was 25-year-old Charles Andrew (Andy) Newman.

Newman had gotten married while on leave from Iraq in July.

He suffered four broken vertebrae and road burns when he was ejected from the vehicle, said his wife, Stephanie. Stephanie and Newman’s mother, Lisha Gibson, both work at the same Madisonville car lot and spoke with The Advocate & Democrat on Tuesday.

’He was lucky,’ Stephanie Newman said.

She had spoken with her husband on the phone and said doctors were checking his liver function and said her husband could eventually be flown to Germany for treatment.

Newman’s stepmother, Beth, and his father, Scott, live in Athens.

She said the newlyweds had not had time to set up a residence due to Andy’s tour of duty in Iraq.

Another Monroe County native serving with the National Guard in Iraq, David Allen Thomas, was also injured in the same bombing that killed Hunt and injured Newman.

His employer, National Seating in Vonore, confirmed his injury and said he had been sent to Germany for surgery but no further information was available at press time Tuesday.

More than 3,000 members of the Tennessee National Guard have been serving in Iraq since late 2004.

Tommy Millsaps can be reached at 337-7101 or mcanews4@xtn.net.

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this