Iraq bomb kills Idaho soldier

POCATELLO, Idaho – A Pocatello man on his fourth tour in Iraq was killed when he was caught inside a building destroyed by a bomb, family members say.

Sgt. Nick Gummersall, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, was scheduled to return home from his current extended tour next month, his father, Clay Gummersall, told the Idaho State Journal.

The 23-year-old soldier, a Century High School graduate, was one of four soldiers killed Monday in a blast in the Diyala province north of Baghdad, his father said. Gummersall attended Idaho State University and played on the practice squad for the Bengals football team, and was enrolled in Boise State University this fall.

“He was going to walk on and play football there (at Boise),” Clay Gummersall said. “That was before Bush said, ‘You’re going to stay here for another few months.’ “

Nick Gummersall joined the 82nd Airborne because he wanted to be the best at everything he did, his father said.

“Nick had more friends than anybody I ever met,” he said. “If you met Nick, he was usually your friend.”