Thomas W. Clemons dies from heart attack

(FRANKFORT, Ky.0 -- An Army National Guard soldier from central Kentucky died of a heart attack before going on patrol in Iraq, military officials said.

Staff Sgt. Thomas W. Clemons, 37, had a heart attack Monday near Ad Diwaniyah, Iraq, said Col. Phil Miller, a spokesman for the Guard, said in a statement. Health screenings before Clemons was sent overseas indicated there was no health condition that existed that prevented his deployment, Miller said.

Clemons was a member of the Kentucky Army National Guard since Aug. 2000 and was deployed in March 2006 to Iraq with Company B, 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor.

"Staff Sergeant Clemons was a man of honor, a patriot, a soldier dedicated to his fellow soldiers, his family and his country," said Lt. Col. Michael Farley, commander of 2nd Battalion, 123rd Armor in a statement from Iraq.

A resident of Falls of Rough in Grayson County, Clemons is survived by his wife, Sheila; two children, Ryan and Anthony; his sister, Pamela Bowling; and his parents, William H. Clemons and Patricia Frank. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Clemons is the 13th Kentucky Army National Guard soldier to die in U.S. military operations since Sept. 11, 2001.

From WAVE 13