
Reservist Mark A. Lawton had volunteered for duty in Iraq, even though he was scheduled for an Army school that would have kept him stateside.
“His desire was that he could share his combat experience with younger, less experienced troops and make sure that each of his boys came home in one piece,” Lawton’s family said in a statement.
Staff Sgt. Lawton, 41, of Hayden, Colo., was killed Aug. 29 in Iraq when his convoy was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade.
He is survived by his wife, Sherri, and sons Dustin, 4, and Tanner, 1.
Lawton had served in both the Army and the Marines, and was a Gulf War veteran, said Capt. Curtis Carney of the U.S. Army Reserve in Denver. He joined the reserves after leaving active duty.
Sherri Lawton was too...