After 300 Iraq missions, Fort Richardson soldier killed by moose

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2007/12/08/military/14_03_1412_7_07.txt

ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Spc. Stephen Cavanaugh survived more than 300 missions in Iraq, but was killed when his car hit a moose months after his return to Alaska.

The 24-year-old Fort Richardson soldier was in a coma when he was taken off life support Thursday.

When he returned to Fort Richardson in March, Cavanaugh had brain trauma from the many explosions around him in Iraq and was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the soldier's father, also named Stephen Cavanaugh.

The younger Cavanaugh, who deployed to Iraq with the 98th Maintenance Company, was still trying to heal when his car struck the moose Sunday night on the Seward Highway in South Anchorage.

That stretch of the highway isn't well-lit, and seeing something alongside the roadway can be difficult, said police Lt. Nancy Reeder. snip

Reeder said the impact flung the moose on top of Cavanaugh's Camaro convertible, crushing him. The moose died and its calf ran off.

[BeyondGeography]

1. Another one for the "no God" file

ugh

[Chipper Chat]

2. Will Fred Phelps picket both funerals?

Or just the moose's.