Richard A. Vaughn
Profile
Age: 22
From: San Diego
Assigned to the 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas
Incident: Army Sgt. Richard A. Vaughn died April 7 in Baghdad from wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked using a rocket-propelled grenade, improvised explosive device and small-arms fire.
Died: April 07, 2008
San Diego soldier known for his heart killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
SAN DIEGO — Richard Vaughn’s dad was a sailor and his grandfather was a Marine. But an interest in tanks drew him to the Army.
On April 7, on the first patrol of his second tour in Iraq, his Baghdad convoy was enveloped in a firefight and he was killed by hostile forces.
Vaughn, 22, known as Ricky, was born in Los Angeles but attended high school in San Diego, where he played football and wrestled.
“He wasn’t a stellar athlete, but he had a heart the size of the entire state,” said Steve Stone, Vaughn’s coach at Junipero Serra High School.
Vaughn was assigned to an armored unit of the 4th Infantry Division at Fort Hood, Texas. He turned into a hard-charging overachiever, becoming a sergeant in four years and mastering the workings of his tank.
“Ricky took his job seriously, but he...