Land mine kills Missouri soldier

FORDLAND, Mo. -- A southwest Missouri soldier killed in Iraq this week on his second tour of duty had matured during his first stint there, one of Sgt. Timothy J. Sutton's former teachers said.

"He was not much of a patriot before he left, but he was when he got back," said Richard Faber, who taught Sutton at Ozarks Technical Community College in Springfield. "He was a lot more mature and serious."

Sutton, 22, of Fordland, returned from Iraq in May 2004 and went back in March. He was killed Monday in Baghdad when the Humvee he was driving struck a land mine.

Sutton, assigned to the 3rd Squadron of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, usually served as a gunner in a tank that swept for mines.

His Army unit is based at Fort Carson, Colo., which has lost six soldiers this month.

The soldier's father, Bill Sutton of Fordland, had talked to him Sunday about what was to be one last mission. Sutton didn't mention details, and his father didn't ask.

"He was really up in spirits because he was getting ready to go home on leave," the elder Sutton said.

Bill Sutton said his son was proud of the U.S. effort in Iraq and devoted to the soldiers serving under him.

"He would go out of his way to help them out and do whatever it takes to make them comfortable," he said.

Sutton, a 2001 graduate of Fordland High School, spent two years studying drafting and design at Ozark Tech before joining the Army. His aunt, Becky Dalton of Fordland, said continuing his schooling under the GI Bill was one his motivations for enlisting.

Former teachers at the technical school remember Sutton as an energetic student who was serious about a career in drafting.

"He was always ready for fun, but he had his eye on what he wanted to do," said Murl Darby, a drafting and design instructor. "He was always full of energy and ideas and fun to be around."

Faber called Sutton a talented artist who turned out to be one of his best students.

"The artist's eye -- he had that gift," Faber said.

After his return from Iraq last year, Sutton married his wife, Angela, and introduced her to one of his favorite pastimes -- hunting. The couple married in December, and Angela Sutton lives in Colorado Springs.

Faber said Sutton hated the sand in Iraq, but felt obligated to go back there.

"He had a sense of duty," he said.

Family members said Sutton's mother was killed in a traffic accident when he was about 2, and he had been living in Fordland with his aunt. Dalton said he re-enlisted in the Army prior to deployment to Iraq in March.

"They gave him a good deal," she said. "He knew he was going to be redeployed and he knew he had to be there anyway." She said she believed bonus pay and family medical benefits also were a factor in his decision.

"Things change when you get married," she said. "And when you're over there, you have a lot of time to think."