Sgt. 1st Cl. Greg L. Sutton

Sgt. 1st Cl. Greg L. Sutton volunteered to go to Iraq so that a friend who worked in the same office could retire.

"It was a calling. He said it was something he had to do,'' said family friend Gabby Galloway. ''And he would do it again. He knew the risks. Everybody knows this: He would do it again."

Sutton, 38, of Spring Lake, N.C., was killed June 6 in Baghdad when the vehicle he was in was struck by an improvised explosive device.

Sutton was a fire support specialist assigned to the 212th Military Transition Team, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley.

He joined the Army in February 1991. This was his first deployment to Iraq.

Among his previous duties had been experience as a causality assistance officer while stationed at Fort Sill, Okla., from November 2005 through October 2006. In that capacity, he helped families of slain soldiers. Sutton broke horrible news to several families.

"Greg had helped countless families, there's no way to figure out how many," said Stefan Ohlenmacher, a casualty mortuary officer there. "He had compassion and professionalism, and the ability to deal with people and families."

Sutton believed in authority and didn't tolerate foolishness. His sister, Evette Connor, said his presence commanded respect. "I would still listen to him even as old as I am," she said.

He is survived by his wife, Joanne, daughter Cailee, 3 and son, Greg Jr., 2.