Bobby West ANG KIA Beebe, AR

A Beebe family is desperately seeking their son to tell him the news about his brother’s death in Iraq.

Bobby West, 23, was killed about 10 a.m. Tuesday while escorting three CBS journalists in Baghdad. The crew’s cameraman and sound man were killed when a car bomb exploded.

A representative of the West Brook Funeral Home in Beebe said funeral arrangements are incomplete because it is not known when West’s body will arrive from Iraq.

West was in the Arkansas National Guard’s 39th Infantry Brigade when terrorists attacked the United States on Sept. 11, 2001. Along with his older brother, Patrick, he joined the regular army and both were sent to Iraq.

“He loved the military, and was one of your true soldiers,” said Margie Liddle, West’s aunt. “He was very passionate about it.”

Liddle said Bobby, who attended Beebe High School, helped capture Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq who is currently on trial.

“He was full of life, very energetic, really gung-ho,” said Liddle. “He very much believed in serving our country.”

The 39th Brigade and the Red Cross are helping the family find Patrick and tell him his brother has paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country.

“We don’t know if Patrick has been notified,” Liddle said Thursday. “We haven’t had contact with him. We’re working every angle we can to get Patrick home.”

In the meantime, the family is grateful for the support of their friends and family.

“The outpouring has been unbelievable,” Liddle said. “The people around here are wonderful. We would like to thank everyone for their kindness and prayer, and ask that they continue to pray for his mother and for Patrick, that we would hear from him soon.”

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