Nathan P. Fairlie dies of injuries from I.E.D.

A 21-year-old soldier from Candor was killed Friday in Iraq when the vehicle he was driving rolled over an Improvised Explosive Device.

The Defense Department said Pfc. Nathan P. Fairlie, of Candor, died of injuries suffered in Baqubah when the IED detonated near his Bradley Fighting Vehicle during combat operations.

Fairlie was assigned to the 6th Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division of Fort Hood, Texas.

Other soldiers were in the vehicle at the time, but the Candor resident was the only one killed, his father, Paul Fairlie, said he was told Friday afternoon by Army officials.

The elder Fairlie did not know the extent of the injuries to the other soldiers.

Nathan Fairlie called his family Monday to tell them his unit would be moving to a different area of Iraq and he wouldn't have access to a phone for a while.

Paul Fairlie said that was the last time he spoke to his son.

Paul Fairlie said his son told the family Monday "if anything happened, he just wanted us to be proud of him."

"We're very proud of him," Paul Fairlie said during a telephone interview Saturday.

"We're very sorry to lose our son, but we're also very proud that he enlisted in the service and he made the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

"But we're still gonna miss him. We're gonna miss him for the rest of our lives."

The 21-year-old is survived by his parents, Paul and Karen Fairlie of Catatonk Hill Road in Candor; and an older sister, Mindi Rogers.

Nathan Fairlie joined the Army less than a year after graduating from Candor High School in 2004.

He was serving his first tour of duty in Iraq after being deployed in early October, his father said.

Fairlie had hoped to return home on leave at the end of February, his father said.

"This is what he wanted to do, that's all I can say. He knew there was a risk involved; he was willing to take the risk," Paul Fairlie said.

"He was very proud tobe in the military."

While he was a student at Candor, Fairlie was a lineman on the football team. He was also an avid outdoorsman who loved fishing and hunting, his father said.

"He was looking forward to coming home to do a little hunting before he got back (to Iraq)," Paul Fairlie said.

"He had a few hunting trips planned. Unfortunately, they're not going to happen."

The family has not yet made plans for a funeral service, Paul Fairlie said.

They will wait to find out when the soldier's body will return home and probably plan a service for the following week, his father said.

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