Charles C Persing

Early on in his Army days, Charles "C.C." Persing talked about making the military his career. Then, he toyed with the idea of becoming a police officer. He settled on going to college after his stint was up. "He was going to buy some land and take care of his mama and his brother," said Persing's aunt, Lena Bouley. Persing, 20, of Albany, La., was killed July 19 by an explosion. He was based at Fort Drum, N.Y. Persing enlisted after graduating from high school in 2002, relatives said. Persing's father died when he was young. His mother, Betty Persing, was struggling financially then, so relatives took custody of C.C. and his younger brother, Robert, now 17. "He never was with his mama that long, but he always thought about his...