Army Spc. Larry E. Polley, Jr.

Died January 17, 2004 serving during Operation Iraqi Freedom

20, of Center, Texas; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 20th Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; killed while conducting a surveillance sweep for improvised explosive devices Jan. 17, when when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle struck such a device and overturned north of Taji, Iraq.

During a two-week leave over Christmas, relatives tried to talk Larry E. Polley Jr. into quitting the military after he finished his current hitch. But Polley said he wanted to retire from the Army.

“He told me, ‘I’ll be back,’ said Larry Earl Polley Sr.

Spc. Polley, 20, of Center, Texas, was killed Jan. 17 when a roadside bomb detonated north of Baghdad. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. Polly was outgoing and active, his father said, and enjoyed fishing, video games and computers. He is survived by his wife, Sebrena Polley, and three children.

— Associated Press