
LITTLE ROCK — Trained in destroying explosives, a soldier from a small northeastern Arkansas town was killed in an explosion in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Kevin P. Jessen, 28, died Sunday in Rawah, the Army said. He was on a post-blast investigation when another explosion killed him, Army spokeswoman Maj. Elizabeth Robbins said.
Jessen was assigned to the 22nd Chemical Battalion (Technical Escort) of the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.
He grew up in Oak Grove, where the family had moved from Iowa before Jessen was born, his sister Tracy Miller said. Their father was a welder and had a small farm.
The youngest child in the family, Jessen had an early interest in explosives, which eventually led to his military career, his sister said.
“He liked to play with fire and explosives and just see what he could mix together...