Skiatook soldier killed in Iraq

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A 101st Airborne Division soldier from Oklahoma died in Iraq, his mother said. <br/><br/>On Saturday, Army Pfc. Joshua Francis Powers, of the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort

Tuesday, February 28th 2006, 5:38 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ A 101st Airborne Division soldier from Oklahoma died in Iraq, his mother said.

On Saturday, Army Pfc. Joshua Francis Powers, of the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, Ky., died in southern Baghdad after having been in the country about 2 1/2 weeks, his mother, Patricia Powers, said.

Joshua Powers was the youngest of three boys and joined the Army in July. Although he dropped out of high school, his mother said he was ``extremely bright'' and immersed himself in books after he decided to become a soldier.

``He studied for about a month and passed his GED,'' she said. ``He had a real high score. We were real proud of him for doing that.''

Patricia Powers said military service wasn't exactly what her son thought it would be, but ``he was meeting that responsibility.''

Services for Powers are pending.