Guardsman saluted as 'total package'

ST. GEORGE — A Utah National Guard soldier killed in Iraq on Saturday is being remembered as one of the state's best by many of his comrades in arms.

Sgt. 1st Class Ronald T. Wood was riding in a new armored Humvee M1114 in Kirkuk, Iraq, with two other soldiers when a roadside bomb exploded, killing Wood — the 13th Utahn killed in Iraq since the war started in March 2003.

Sgt. Christopher L. Olsen of Logan and Spc. Eric J. Lund of Providence are being treated for shrapnel wounds they received in the attack. All three men were members of Bravo Battery, 1-148th Field Artillery Battalion, based in Logan.

"He was a great guy. He would do anything for anybody," Sgt. 1st Class Curt Hoepfner said Monday from his post at the 222nd Field Artillery Unit headquarters in Cedar City. "He was a whole-hearted guy."

Wood enlisted in the Utah National Guard in 1994 with the 222nd Artillery, also known as the Triple Deuce, and lived in southern Utah for several years. He transferred to the 1-148th in 2003 and was a full-time employee of the Guard when deployed in June 2004.

Hoepfner said he last saw Wood about a year ago, but he also worked with the 28-year-old Cedar City man at the National Guard 640th Regional Training Facility at Camp Williams.

"He was an instructor. He taught primary leadership development and some field artillery instrument training," said Hoepfner. "He was a good man."

Wood's commander in Iraq, Capt. Darcy Burt, Bravo Battalion, 1-148th Field Artillery, praised Wood on Monday in an e-mail shared with reporters.

"Our prayers are with all the families, especially the family of the finest soldier that the Utah National Guard has to offer," wrote Burt. "Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Wood is the best noncommissioned officer I have ever worked with. He was the total package, and I cannot replace him. He has sealed his love for country, duty and honor with his own blood. We will never forget."

Wood's family members, who now live in Colorado, declined to issue a statement and asked for privacy, said Maj. Hank McIntire, a spokesman for the Utah National Guard. A support officer was assigned to the family, who will receive an immediate death payment to assist with funeral and other expenses. Wood was divorced with no children.

Little information has been released on the incident. The Humvee he was riding in was only a month old and fortified with factory-installed armor to provide maximum protection, McIntire said.

Several people have called the Triple Deuce headquarters to see what kind of support they can offer Wood's family, said Hoepfner.

"They want to know what they can do," he said. "We will definitely have a memorial service with full military honors."

Wood's family indicated he would be buried in Utah, said McIntire, although details are pending.

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com