Ivorian Prince Killed In Iraq as Member of US Army

Ivorian Prince Killed in Iraq

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast - A U.S. soldier killed in Iraq who was the son of a king in this African country was buried here Saturday in a princely ceremony.
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Spc. Ebe Firmin Emolo, 33, joined the army two years ago and became a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division. He was killed along with three others when their vehicle struck an explosive in April.

Emolo was a prince, the youngest son of King Nanan Boa Kouassi III of the Agni people, said Ettien Amoakon, the chief of staff of Ivory Coast's defense minister, who assisted with the burial.

In the town of Abengourou, 130 miles northeast of Abidjan, Emolo's coffin was followed by hundreds of mourners, including U.S. military representatives and members of the royal family.

The crowd wept as he was laid in the ground in a cemetery.

"As a soldier, Emolo was one of the best," said U.S. Gen. Maj. David T. Zabecki, who accompanied the body on behalf of the U.S. Army.

Emolo came to the United States in 1999 and joined the Army in 2005. He was married and had been living in Greensboro, N.C., where he worked as a security officer at a hospital.