Lawrence Parrish killed by improvised explosive device

Missouri Army National Guard Sgt. Lawrence Parrish, of Lebanon, Mo., was killed Saturday in Iraq. Another soldier, from Kansas, was killed in the same attack.

“Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with the families of these two soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. King Sidwell, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, in a news release.

Parrish, 36, died of injuries suffered when he encountered an Improvised Explosive Device in Ur, Iraq. He was a member of the 110th Engineer Battalion headquartered in Kansas City and had 12 years of military service, the news release said.

Parrish is the third Missouri National Guard soldier killed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, which operates in Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Quatar, said Capt. Jamie Melchert, public affairs officer at the Missouri National Guard. There are also three noncombat-related deaths.

Parrish’s unit has been providing convoy security and working to remove explosive devices along the Iraqi roadways.

His wife, Sarah Parrish, and five children were informed of the news over the weekend. Funeral arrangements are still pending, but services will likely be held in Lebanon, Mo, with burial in Versailles, Mo., Melchert said.

Parrish was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant and awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge and Missouri Expeditionary Medal.

From the Columbia Missourian