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U.S. Army Pvt. TylerJ. Smith

A 22-year-old soldier from Bethel was the first of eight soldiers killed in or around Baghdad during three days of fighting that pushed the American death toll in the Iraq war to 4,000.

U.S. Army Pvt. Tyler J. Smith died of wounds suffered Friday from indirect fire during an attack on Forward Operating Base Falcon, the Department of Defense announced Monday.

The Army would not provide details of the attack just south of Baghdad, but the phrase "indirect fire" is typically indicative of a mortar or rocket strike, a spokesman said.

Smith graduated from Telstar Regional High School in 2004. He enlisted in the Army the next year and was assigned to a unit of the 3rd Infantry Division, which is based at Fort Stewart, Ga., in April of 2006.

School officials said Smith was a mature, brawny teenager who enjoyed fast cars and shop class. He often worked weekends with his father at construction sites, they said.

"I respected him as being honest, straightforward," said Charlie Raymond, the dean of students. "He was fun-loving, but he was respectful."

Smith was part of a tight-knit group of automobile enthusiasts at Telstar who called themselves the "Feed'n Crew."

The moniker was a reference to stepping on a car's gas pedal and "feeding" it fuel, Raymond said.

Smith was a combat engineer who helped build and dismantle defensive structures in Iraq -- such as the concrete blast walls designed to protect buildings and troops from insurgent attacks -- said Kevin Larson, a Fort Stewart spokesman.

He was killed almost four months into a 15-month deployment. Smith leaves a wife, Heather, whom he met at Telstar, school officials said.

Neither his parents nor his in-laws could be reached for comment.

Smith was one of four U.S. soldiers killed in clashes near Baghdad on Friday and Saturday.

On Sunday, a roadside bomb killed four more soldiers in Baghdad and pushed the overall American death toll in the war to 4,000, according to an Associated Press tally.

Smith is the 31st soldier with Maine ties to die in Iraq since the war started in 2003.

Gov. John Baldacci said he will order flags flown at half-staff the day of Smith's funeral. A date was not released Monday.

Staff Writer Elbert Aull can be contacted at 791-6325 or at:

eaull@pressherald.com