Utah soldier dies in Iraq

Army Spc. Lex S. Nelson, 21, a graduate of Granite High School in Salt Lake City, died in Tikrit, Iraq, on Monday.

Nelson, who fell from a guard tower, had been scheduled to leave Iraq on Dec. 29, family members said. He had expected to be back in the U.S. on Jan. 2 and to visit his home for three weeks with his family.

He was deployed to Kuwait, then to Iraq, in January.

Nelson was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 41st Field Artillery, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division. He was based at Fort Stewart, Ga.