Jonathan Lootens killed by I.E.D.

NORWALK -- A city resident's son who enlisted in the Army after Sept. 11, 2001, was killed in an explosion Sunday while in combat in Iraq.

U.S. Army Sgt. Jonathan Lootens, 25, son of Norwalk resident Deborah Qualtieri, was born and raised in Newark, N.Y., said his sister, Andrea Ralyea, who was visiting her mother yesterday.

The Department of Defense reported that Lootens was killed when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Kirkuk, Iraq, during combat operations. Ralyea said Lootens was in the gunner position of a Humvee and was only minimally protected when the bomb went off.

First Lt. Joshua Deese, 25, of North Carolina, also was killed in the attack.

Lootens had completed a one-year tour of duty in the mountains of Afghanistan, Ralyea said. After his tour in Afghanistan, Lootens spent the next 18 months based in Hawaii with the 25th Infantry Division. Before being deployed to Iraq in August for a one-year tour, Lootens in May visited his mother, a registered nurse at Greenwich Hospital who moved to Norwalk seven years ago, Ralyea said.

Ralyea said that when she saw her brother in May, he was looking forward to his assignment in Iraq, hoping that he would do some good there.

Lootens called whenever he could and sent her e-mails, said Ralyea, a Victor, N.Y., resident.

"He was very proud of the work he was doing. He did say at times it was difficult and frustrating, but in a war zone you really can't expect anything else," Ralyea said. "He knew what he was getting into."

Ralyea told The Associated Press that her brother had a troubled past. "He frequently walked on the wrong side of the law, and the point where he joined the military it was either military or prison," she said. "Sept. 11 was the straw that broke the camel's back."

But the Army changed Lootens and gave him a sense of purpose.

"Jonathan did a complete 180," Ralyea told The Associated Press. "It became obvious that this was the kind of regimen and discipline that he needed in his life, and he just ate it up. . . . He very quickly found direction and set goals for himself."

Ralyea said her mother did not want to comment on his death.

"But she would agree that my brother was above all else a patriot. He loved his country, freedom and family. He was devoted to all those things," Ralyea said.

In a statement, Mayor Richard Moccia said he was "deeply saddened" to learn of Looten's death.

"I concur with Jonathan's mother that he was the definition of a patriot, as Jonathan chose to defend our way of life and the freedoms we enjoy by serving in the military," Moccia said. "We should all be proud of his sacrifice to our country and his dedication to our defense. His sacrifice will not be forgotten."

Ralyea said funeral services for her brother will be held in Phelps, N.Y., but the date has not been set. A memorial service will be held locally in about two weeks, Ralyea said.

From the Stamford Advocate