Lawrence soldier missing in Iraq

No matter how or when Alex R. Jimenez comes home from Iraq, he'll receive a hero's welcome, family friend Wendy Luzon said last night.

Jimenez, a 25-year-old Army specialist from Lawrence , was among the US soldiers captured -- or killed -- by insurgents in an ambush Saturday south of Baghdad by a group that includes Al Qaeda members, Department of Defense officials said last night. The group, the Islamic State of Iraq, warned the United States not to search for the missing soldiers.

The military said Jimenez had been traveling in a patrol by two Humvees in the Sunni Muslim stronghold of Al Taqa, looking for insurgents planting roadside bombs, when they were hit by automatic weapons fire and explosives.

Killed in the attack were Sergeant First Class James D. Connell, Jr., 40, of Lake City, Tenn.; Private First Class Daniel W. Courneya, 19, of Nashville, Mich., and Private First Class Christopher E. Murphy, 21, of Lynchburg, Va.

The military listed four other soldiers as "duty status whereabouts unknown," a term often used prior to formally listing soldiers as missing or unidentifiable. Among the four, however, one is known to be dead. The victim, who was not identified, was badly burned in the ambush that left the soldiers' Humvees ablaze, so the military must conduct forensic tests to confirm his identity.

In addition to Jimenez, the missing soldiers are Sergeant Anthony J. Schober, 23, of Reno; Private First Class Joseph J. Anzack Jr., 20, of Torrance, Calif.; and Private Byron W. Fouty, 19, of Waterford, Mich. All the soldiers were members of the Fourth Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, Second Brigade Combat Team of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum, N.Y.

Specialist Jimenez's family could not be reached for comment last night.

Luzon, 35, an anti-domestic violence specialist and neighbor, said Jimenez's father Ramon "Andy" Jimenez had been against the war, participating in antiwar protests, even though Alex Jimenez felt strongly about his service.

Luzon said she was at their home on Sunday when military personnel informed Ramon Jimenez that his son was unaccounted for. He initially thought Alex Jimenez had been killed. "I could hear him crying" from another room, she said. "But I think it was confusion over a language barrier.

"He's not doing well," she said.

Luzon said she plans to hold a vigil tonight outside of the Jimenez home. "We still have hope, and we are praying for him."

Francisco Ureña, the director of veterans' services in Lawrence, said that Jimenez's father and mother were at Fort Drum and that Jimenez's wife was in Pennsylvania.

Neighbors at an apartment complex in Lawrence listed as Jimenez's address said last night that he had lived in the city until age 10 before moving to the Dominican Republic, then returned to Lawrence a few years ago.

A massive hunt involving 4,000 troops is underway for the three soldiers, whom the US military believes are in insurgent hands. The search in Iraq involved new tactics such as dropping leaflets with numbers to phone in tips and blaring requests for information from trucks mounted with loudspeakers. US military officials said they had detained 11 people, including four "high value targets," who they hope will provide clues to soldiers' whereabouts.

"All available assets are being brought to bear in search of these missing soldiers," said Lieutenant Colonel Paul Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for the 10th Mountain Division.

The soldiers were watching a location where insurgents often place road bombs when they came under fire, Fitzpatrick said. He described the ambush as "obviously a deliberate and planned attack" that involved placing roadside bombs on the routes nearby, forcing the US military's reaction forces to fight their way to the scene.

The kidnappings of three 10th Mountain Division soldiers by terrorists in Iraq will only work to unite America and strengthen the military's determination, soldiers at Fort Drum said yesterday.

"If this is a scare tactic to undermine our resolve, they need to realize our soldiers are trained killers and don't scare," said Specialist Dorothy Drake, of Los Angeles. "This is more incentive to finish the job. The Army is family. This will bring us together."

Globe reporters Mac Daniel and Russell Contreras contributed to this report. Material from The Washington Post and the Associated Press was included in this report.