
JACKSON, Miss. — Sgt. 1st Class Sean Michael Cooley was killed in Iraq when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle, Guard officials said Friday.
Cooley, 35, of Ocean Springs became the 21st soldier with Mississippi ties killed in the war on terror.
His family had no comment when contacted on Friday.
Cooley was assigned to the Mississippi Army National Guard’s Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion headquartered in Lucedale. Guard officials said the Thursday blast is under investigation.
The 150th is attached to the 155th Brigade Combat Team that includes 3,500 soldiers from Mississippi and others from Vermont and Arkansas. The brigade underwent training at Camp Shelby near Hattiesburg and left for the Middle East last month.
Laura Cooley, the soldier’s wife, had told The Associated Press during a Dec....