Garth D. Sizemore killed by small arms fire

MOUNT STERLING, Ky. -- An Eastern Kentucky soldier has died of combat-related injuries in Iraq, military officials said yesterday.

Staff Sgt. Garth Sizemore, 31, of Mount Sterling, died Tuesday after he was shot by enemy forces during a patrol in Baghdad, the Department of Defense said.

Sizemore was assigned to 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division out of Schweinfurt, Germany.

He attended Montgomery County High School and Morehead State University before enlisting seven years ago, his father, Glenn Sizemore of Mount Sterling, said yesterday.

Sizemore said there were many factors behind his son's decision to join the military.

"Too many reasons go into a decision like that," he said. "He was always mature, always thinking for himself."

Sizemore said he hadn't seen his son, who married less than a year ago, since he was stationed in Germany three years ago.

Growing up, Garth Sizemore was passionate about the rugged outdoors, and enjoyed camping, kayaking and rappelling. He loved rock music and learned to play the guitar.

More than anything, Sizemore said, he admired his son's sense of independence.

"He made his own decisions and lived with his own decisions," he said.

Sizemore was the 47th soldier from Kentucky to die in the war in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Department of Defense said late yesterday that a soldier from the 5th Special Forces, based at Fort Campbell, died Tuesday.

Spc. Daniel W. Winegeart, 23, of Kountze, Texas, died in Baghdad of injuries suffered when his vehicle drove off an overpass.

From the Courier Journal