Tyler Soldier Killed by IED in Iraq

FORT DRUM, N.Y. (AP) – U.S. Army officials say a soldier from Texas serving with the 10th Mountain Division’s Louisiana-based brigade combat team has been killed by an improvised explosive device in Iraq. Officials at Fort Drum in northern New York say Spc. Alexander Missildine, 20, Tyler, was killed Sunday when an IED detonated near his convoy. Missildine served with the division’s 710th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Polk, Louisiana. The division’s other two brigade combat teams are based at Fort Drum.

He joined the Army in July 2015. After training at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, Missildine arrived at Fort Polk in December 2015. He deployed with his unit last month to Iraq. Among Missildine’s awards and decorations are the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Action Badge. He’s survived by his mother, father and step-parents. In a statement, Tyler ISD says it “is saddened to learn of the passing Spc. Alexander Missildine, a 2015 graduate of Robert E. Lee High School. The District joins the Tyler community in thanking him for his service to our country. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family during this time of loss.”