Tyler R. Overstreet killed in combat

Gallatin native Lance Cpl. Tyler Overstreet, 22, was killed in Iraq during combat operations Sunday, when an explosive device hit his vehicle, according to the military.

The 22-year-old Marine was a passenger in an armored truck that was targeting anti-Iraqi forces in Fallujah. About 4:41 p.m., the vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device, military officials stated in an announcement given to Overstreet’s family Monday night.

Overstreet enlisted 16 months ago, his mother, Jana Mertens, said.

“No one forced him to go; he volunteered,” said Mertens, surrounded by family and friends remembering her son at her home just north of Gallatin. “He went to fight for his country.”

Overstreet was deployed to Iraq on Sept. 25 – three days after his 22nd birthday – and was killed less than a month later. Through the summer, he had been stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif., and trained for four weeks in the Mojave Desert.

Family and friends, some still in shock from the horrific news, gathered at Overstreet’s family home Wednesday to mourn the loss of a “proud Marine” and “true family man.”

Overstreet never met his three-week old son, Ashton Allen.

About 66 Tennessee servicemen have died in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Tennessee Department of Veterans Affairs.

From the News Examiner