West Lafayette man, 28, killed in Baghdad Thursday

WEST LAFAYETTE – A soldier from West Lafayette has been killed in Iraq.\nArmy Spc. Andrew R. Weiss, 28, died Thursday in Baghdad after an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, military officials said. He was one of four soldiers in the vehicle.\nWeiss was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, based in Fort Hood, Texas. He was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, said his mother, Judith Weiss of West Lafayette.\n“He thought that the cavalry was right for him. He was an excellent soldier, quite the hero,” she said.\nJudith Weiss said she last saw her son in August. Andrew Weiss attended West Lafayette High School and Vincennes University and enlisted in the Army just before the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He re-enlisted this year.\n“He was a building construction major and jobs weren’t too hot,” his mother said.\nWeiss and his wife, Margaret, have two children ages 3 and 1. The family lives near Fort Hood.\nFuneral arrangements were pending.\nIn all, 81 people from Indiana have died after being sent to the Middle East since the buildup for the invasion of Iraq began in 2003.