Sgt. Lance O. Eakes, 25, died in Baghdad after an improvised bomb detonated near his truck while he was on combat patrol.

Eakes was the ninth soldier with the N.C. National Guard to die in action in Iraq.

He was assigned to the Rocky Mount-based 1132nd Military Police Company, which has now lost four soldiers from North Carolina in less than a month. A New Hampshire National Guard soldier who was attached to the unit also died in Iraq recently.

Two other N.C. Guard soldiers were wounded in the attack and are receiving medical treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, the Guard said.

Eakes joined the military in January 2003 and served in Iraq in 2004 and 2005 with the 105th Military Police Battalion. He was on a standby list for promotion when he was killed and was promoted to sergeant posthumously.

He began his second deployment in June 2007 when the 1132nd mobilized with about 120 soldiers. The soldiers are due to return to the to state by this fall.

Eakes, the son of Tammy and John Eakes, graduated from Apex High School in 2001 and lived in Wake County for most of his life. A competitive kick boxer, he had multiple awards and belts for his abilities, the National Guard said.

The news release quoted his father as saying that Eakes joined the National Guard because he wanted to serve his country. "He couldn't believe what happened on 9-11", John Eakes said.

Eakes also hoped the military training would help him toward a career in law enforcement. "That's why he decided to be an MP," his father said. "He wanted to be a policeman or a highway patrolman, something in law enforcement."