Coty (Theodore) West killed by roadside bomb

RICHMOND, Ky. (AP) — An Army soldier from Kentucky had just been married months before he was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb.

Pfc. Theodore West, 23, of Richmond, was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. He was killed on Wednesday in Baghdad.

His family, who called West “Coty,” said in a statement that he loved serving in the military.

“Coty volunteered for military service because he wanted to make a difference in the world and keep those he loved safe,” the statement said. “In his letters, he continually said that he believed in his job, that he was good at his job, and that he would not let those he loved or the fellow soldiers in his company down on his watch.”

West joined the Army in August 2005, and left for Iraq less than a month ago, after marrying Jennifer Gregory on July 8, the family said. He was an outdoorsman who liked hunting and fishing and also enjoyed working on trucks and cars, family members said.

“We wish everyone to know that he was very important and special to us all. ... His life and time made a difference,” the family statement said.

From the Courier Journal

Friend donates truck in Coty West's honor

Word of Pfc. Theodore West's death in Iraq on Wednesday reached Cristy Abrams about 4 a.m. yesterday.

Abrams recalled how West befriended her when she moved from a town just north of Detroit to attend Estill County High School as a sophomore, she said.

West went on to join the Army. He was killed after a homemade bomb exploded near his vehicle, the U.S. Army said yesterday. He was 23.

The news was sobering for Abrams, also 23, who was getting up early to drive from Irvine to visit Paul Miller Ford because she was one of 92 finalists with a chance at winning a new Ford F-150 truck through a promotion by country radio station 92.9 The Bear.

She and her fiance, Caleb Couch, decided they would donate the truck -- if they won -- to help Kentucky families who have lost a relative or had a relative injured in Iraq after Abrams received the voice mail from her sister about West's death yesterday morning.

Abrams won the truck, which was signed by dozens of country music singers at last year's Country Music Awards and worth almost $20,000.

"My jaw just dropped," she said. "I just kinda looked around like, 'You got to be kidding me.'"

Excited, West's memory didn't escape her.

"The truck is really cool," she said. "But it means a lot more to us to be able to help this many families. And it's a lot bigger thing than somebody owning a truck with signatures on it. When it comes down to it, it's just a truck."

Plans haven't been made for the truck auction. Paul Miller Ford offered to pay all sales tax on the truck after learning about Abram's intentions when she appeared on the Bandy and Bailey radio show minutes after she won the vehicle.

"We've never had anything like this happen at our dealership," said J.P. Miller Jr., vice president of operations management at Paul Miller Ford. "It's the right message."

A message that will honor her fallen friend.

In high school, Abrams said she became close to West, known as "Coty" or "Cotton" to family and friends, and one of his brothers, Ben.

"It was a big change going from just north of Detroit to Estill County. They literally adopted me. They used to tell people I was their little sister so people wouldn't bother me at all."

West was helping conduct combat patrol operations with Bravo Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, when the incident occurred, according to a statement from West's family released yesterday by Fort Knox. The division's headquarters is at Fort Hood, Texas.

"Coty volunteered for military service because he wanted to make a difference in the world and keep those he loved safe," the family statement said. "In his letters, he continually said that he believed in his job, that he was good at his job, and that he would not let those he loved or the fellow soldiers in his company down on his watch."

West, of Richmond, joined the Army in August 2005. He left for Iraq less than a month ago, after marrying Jennifer Gregory on July 8, according to the statement. His father, Bill West, lives in Berea, while his mother, Rene Brandenburg, lives in Arlington, Texas, the statement said. Survivors, in addition to his wife, include three brothers and a sister.

His family said West had worked as an equipment operator and foreman in the family's construction business and on the family farm before joining the Army. He was an outdoorsman who liked hunting and fishing and also enjoyed working on trucks and cars, family members said.

"We wish everyone to know that he was very important and special to us all. ... His life and time made a difference," the family statement said.

No funeral arrangements for West have been made.

Abrams said she remembered West as a fellow country-music fan who loved trucks, horses and drinking Ale-8-One. Abrams said West always wanted to be in the military.

Abrams, a mother of three who will graduate from Eastern Kentucky University's nursing program this month, said she hopes many families will benefit from the auction. She said she never considered using the truck to pay for a wedding, and she continues to share a "keyed up and beat up" 1997 Mitsubishi Mirage, with her fiance. The brakes on Abrams' 1998 Ford Contour aren't working.

"He was just what this is about," Abrams said. "He would help anybody in any way he could."

From the Herald Leader