Blodgett, Clinton Coy Army Spc.

WILSON, Okla. -- A Wilson family is mourning the loss of their son, who died in Iraq last week.

According to the Department of Defense, Army Spc. Coy Blodgett was killed Saturday in Baghdad when his vehicle struck an explosive. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division based in Germany.

His father, Don Blodgett, said his 19-year-old son had been in Iraq a little more than a year before returning to Wilson to visit the family in March.

The Defense Department lists Coy Blodgett's hometown as Pekin, Ind.

Coy Blodgett decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, who served in the Oklahoma National Guard during the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s.

Don Blodgett had to sign a paper allowing his son to join the military because he wasn't 18 yet.

The elder Blodgett said his son planned to return home to become a security guard after his military stint was over.

Funeral arrangements are pending with the Alexander Funeral Home in Wilson.

WILSON -- The family of Army Spc. Clinton Coy Blodgett remembered him Wednesday as a fun-loving, dependable young man who loved being in the service of country in Iraq.

Blodgett, 19, was killed May 26 in Baghdad, Iraq, when the vehicle he was in struck a bomb, according to the Department of Defense.

He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division at Schweinfurt, Germany.

Charles Blodgett Jr., 16, said his brother was proud of what he was doing in Iraq and eager to be there. He said the last time he saw his brother was in March, when he came home on leave.

"He wanted to go swimming and do some four-wheeling," the younger brother said.

"The water was cold, and we were the only ones swimming that day³ at Waurika Lake, Charles Blodgett said. "We also did some fishing."

He said his brother loved fishing, hunting and shooting guns.

Clinton Blodgett was born at nearby Ardmore, but lived most of his life in Wilson

Contributed by Marti Graham, May 2007. Information posted as courtesy to viewers and researchers. The contributor is not related to nor researching any of the above.