Courtesy Fox8 Cleveland, OH

Brandon Sloan left Bedford, OH High School during his senior year because he wanted to join the Army. Now he is among soldiers reported missing in southern Iraq, his parents said.

Pvt. Sloan, 19, is a member of the 507th Maintenance Co. out of Fort Bliss, said his father, the Rev. Tandy Sloan. "All they told me was that he is missing, and that's it, nothing more," Sloan said at his suburban Cleveland apartment. Army officials came to his door Sunday night to personally tell him about his son, Sloan said. The soldier's mother, Beverly Sloan, of Fraser, Mich., said she got a call from the Army about 2:30 a.m. Monday. "He's a very kind person, and I'm extremely proud of him for fighting for our country," she said from her suburban Detroit home on Monday night.

U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, D-Ohio, also said Sloan was described as missing. U.S. officials confirmed that 2 Ft. Bliss soldiers were killed, 8 are missing and 5 are prisoners of war, after Iraqi forces ambushed an army supply convoy around An Nasiriyah, a major crossing point over the Euphrates northwest of Basra. Some members of the 507th were shown on Iraqi television as prisoners being questioned Sunday, but Brandon Sloan was not one of those pictured.

Tandy Sloan spoke with his son by telephone about three weeks ago before he was deployed from Fort Bliss, but they did not discuss where he was going, Sloan said.

The 507th, which deployed with the 11th Air Defense Artillery Brigade, is not considered a combat unit, officials said. Made up mostly of mechanics, the 507th keeps the diesel tanker trucks rolling, fixes generators and keeps the mechanical parts in good shape. Brandon Sloan was a defenive lineman on the Bedford High School football team

"He didn't drop out. He withdrew. His thinking to join the Army was altruistic in the sense that he was bettering his own self while serving his country," his father said. "He was very much committed to the cause of country." Sloan, who is an associate pastor of Historic Greater Friendship Baptist Church in Cleveland, described his son as God-fearing and easygoing.

"He smiles easily. He's got a pleasant demeanor, and he is very loyal to his friends."