Log in to WRAL.com with one click using your favorite social network:
OR
Log in using your WRAL.com account:



Wrong email/password combination.

Forgot password?

Register with WRAL.com using your favorite social network:
OR
Register for a WRAL.com account using our web form.

Login Options

11:35 p.m. • 2-10-12

Weather Forecast for Raleigh

  • Sat: Mostly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 52° F
  • Sun: Clear.
    • Hi: 43° F
  • Mon: Mostly Cloudy.
    • Hi: 50° F

Other Locations

> 7 Day Forecast

Doppler Image

Marketplace Links

Social Links

Main Menu

Posted: April 21, 2008

Apex Guardsman Killed in Iraq

e-mail print friendly
Spc. Lance Oliver Eakes, Apex Guardsman killed in Iraq
Spc. Lance Oliver Eakes, Apex Guardsman killed in Iraq

Apex, N.C. — A North Carolina Army National Guard soldier from Apex has died in Iraq, officials said Monday.

Spc. Lance Oliver Eakes, 25, a member of the 1132nd Military Police Company was killed Friday while on a combat patrol near Baghdad, officials said. Two other members of the 1132nd were wounded when an improvised explosive device went off as the soldiers returned from a meeting with Iraqi police, officials said.

Eakes, who graduated from Apex High School in 2001, joined the 1132nd in January 2003 before transferring to the 105th Military Police Battalion, which deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005. He returned to the 1132nd last May and mobilized for a second tour in Iraq a month later.

He was promoted posthumously to the rank of sergeant.

The 1132nd, headquartered in Rocky Mount, has about 120 soldiers stationed in Baghdad. They are scheduled to return to North Carolina this fall.

Eakes is the ninth N.C. National Guard soldier killed in action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

RELATED TOPICS: Apex, Baghdad, Afghanistan

Copyright 2011 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
e-mail print friendly

39 Comments


WRAL.com welcomes your comments on this story. All comments are moderated prior to publication based on our posting guidelines. Please review them prior to posting and if your message is not approved.

View Comments VIEW ALL 39 COMMENTS

This story is closed for comments. Comments on WRAL.com news stories are accepted and moderated between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Latest Comments
I mean no disrespect- but it breaks my heart to see this young mans life end so sadly, in a country that does not want us there, and a president determined to keep us there. He should have grown old, he should have been able to see his own children play, kissed them goodnight and live life. Is this war, regardless if you agree with it or not ever going to be over? I wonder how Bush and his goons sleep at night when these brave young men and women are dying.
Click to view my profile Go Georgia Tech
April 22, 2008 1:34 p.m.
LT Santiago couldn't have said it any better. Lance was a great friend not just to me but to my boyfriend who served with him in the 1132nd. We know no one asks to be a hero, but how wonderful it is and how thankful we are for what you've done for us. You deserve to go down in history as a hero! Mending our broken hearts will be hard, but knowing that you, SGT Ray, SGT Stelmat, SGT Williams, and SSG Pickett are keeping watch as our own angels will help keep peace. I'll miss our kitchen Kickbox lessons...See you in heaven!
Click to view my profile salliecrosby
April 22, 2008 10:32 a.m.
God bless them ALL.

Thank you for your service and RIP.

Bring them home already!
Click to view my profile Dayum Sessy
April 22, 2008 9:48 a.m.
Your friends at RIMA will miss you, Lance. Thank you for protecting our country. Rest in peace.
Click to view my profile lornadoone
April 22, 2008 8:31 a.m.
It's time to wipe Iraq off the map.Divide and Conquer.
bossman63076
April 22, 2008 8:01 a.m.
View Comments VIEW ALL 39 COMMENTS

Photo Spotlight

more photos
Report It

Multimedia

more
Click Here