Staff Sgt. Matthew A. Kimmell, 30, of Paxton, Ind., died in Muqdadiyah, Iraq, on Tuesday of injuries sustained during the explosion in Iraq’s Diyala province.. 

Matthew is survived by his wife, Mylissa, of Worthington, Ind.; his parents, Larry and Jeanne, his brother, Jeremy, and sister, Susanne, of Paxton, Ind.

Matthew's father, Larry Kimmell, the pastor of Bibleview Baptist Church in Sullivan, said Army personnel told him that two soldiers who were with his son were injured in the attack. 

His hometown of Paxton in Sullivan County is about 25 miles south of Terre Haute. He graduated from Faith Christian School in Carlisle, then attended Vincennes University.

Kimmell entered the Army Jan. 11, 1994, as an infantryman and ETSed after his enlistment. As a civilian he worked for three years as a deputy sheriff in Vanderburgh County, Ind. then  Re-enlisted in the US Army for Special Forces, after completion of Training he was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group, (Airborne) based at Fort Campbell, Kentucky in November 2004. He deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in June 2005.

Kimmell’s military awards and decorations include the Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, the Good Conduct Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the NCO Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, the Iraqi Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachute Badge, the Ranger Tab and the Special Forces Tab.