Bauxite Army Sergeant Killed In Iraq

An Army sergeant from Bauxite was killed in Iraq yesterday, just 15 days after his deployment. Army Sergeant First Class William "Bill" Labadie was 45. He had been living with his parents Carl and Cheryl Winters in Bauxite before his deployment. He is also survived by wife Sunnie and son Bryan. Cheryl Winters said today that the family does not have a lot of details after an Army chaplin and Sergeant Labadie`s commanding officer came to their doorstep last night. They said Labadie was shot in the chest and died in a hospital. Cheryl Winters told the Benton Courier today that her son had trained for 22 years in the National Guard to serve his country in battle and it was "where he wanted to be." ------ Labadie`s mother said he was killed south of Baghdad. He had been assigned to the First Cavalry, 39th Brigade, Troop E-One-51 Cavalry at Camp Taji in Kuwait. Cheryl Winters said her son had never sounded so happy as during their three telephone conversations since he arrived in the Middle East. Bill Labadie was an active member of First Presbyterian Church in Benton, and his mother said he enjoyed working with elementary-age children at the church. Cheryl Winters said a soldier serving alongside Labadie was also shot, but survived. Funeral services for Labadie are pending.