A soldier based in Missouri has been killed in Iraq. The Pentagon has announced Specialist Matthew F. Straughter, a Belleville, Illinois, resident who enlisted with the Missouri National Guard in St. Charles, died January 31st in Baghdad of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade.

Straughter was assigned to the 1138th Engineer Company, headquartered at Farmington. Specialist Straughter would have turned 28 on February 1st.