TYLER, Texas — A 24-year-old soldier from the East Texas town of Troup has died in combat during his second tour in Iraq, his family and the military said.
Sgt. Samuel E. Kelsey died Thursday in Tunnis, Iraq, from wounds he suffered in an explosion, the Department of Defense said in a release.
Denina Kelsey said her son had run to help a fellow soldier whose legs were injured in an explosion. The second improvised explosive device went off while Kelsey was trying to help the soldier.
“He felt strongly about wanting his men, every one of them, to come home,” Denina Kelsey said. “He was saving somebody else’s life, and my child lost his life.”
Denina Kelsey said she was devastated by the loss of her only...