A Utah National Guard soldier and a contractor were killed Friday when the truck they were in rolled at Tooele Army Depot.
Killed were:
Spec. Ryan Brent Stark, 27, Orem.
Duane R. Gross, Copperas Cove, Texas.
Stark was a member of the Guard's C Battery, 1-145th Field Artillery Battalion, based in Springville. A welder/machinist in civilian life, he had been mobilized for the homeland security effort, Operation Noble Eagle II.
Members of the unit were providing security for Tooele Army Depot and Deseret Chemical Depot, said National Guard spokesman Lt. Col. Brad Blackner. Both Army installations are in Tooele County.
According to his obituary, Stark and his wife, Cami, were parents of two young sons, Cameron Xaverian and Crew Scott. The soldier would have received an associate degree from Utah Valley State College in December.
Stark had served for a summer as a firefighter for the U.S. Forest Service and was on active duty for the past year. He had recently passed the combat life-saver course for military personnel.
"He was riding in a five-ton military vehicle with a civilian contractor," Blackner said. The contractor was at TAD to train members of the 145th on the truck's anti-lock braking system. During the exercise, the truck rolled and both occupants were killed.
According to Blackner, Stark was driving. A Tooele Army Depot press statement added that both were dead at the scene.
A team of investigators from the Army Safety Center, Fort Rucker, Ala., flew to Utah and is investigating the accident, he added.
Although the accident took place on Friday, the Army did not release any information to the Deseret News until a reporter contacted officials Tuesday. On Monday, Stark's obituary was published in the newspaper.
The funeral is planned for Wednesday, 11:30 a.m., at the Cherry Hills LDS First Ward Chapel, 1700 South 400 East, Orem.
E-mail: bau@desnews.com