May 20, 2013
A Tuscaloosa native has become Alabama's fifth casualty of the war in Iraq. Chief Warrant Officer Robert Channell was killed Tuesday in an explosion at an Iraqi military base.
He was one of three Marines who died when a rocket propelled grenade launcher malfunctioned while they were firing it in a remote area.
Seven others were injured. Channell was 36-years-old. His wife and their 5-year-old daughter live at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
Channell told his dad before he left for the Persian Gulf that his major objective was to get his soldiers back home safely.
