“Larry” Roukey had been in Iraq for six weeks.

PORTLAND (AP) – An Army Reserve soldier from Westbrook was killed during a large explosion in a building where he was performing site security, military officials confirmed Tuesday.

Army Reserve Sgt. Lawrence “Larry” Roukey was killed Monday, according to a Department of Defense release. He was a member of the 3rd Battalion, 304th Regiment, based in Lewiston. He was mobilized as an individual soldier from the unit, according to Maine military officials.

Roukey arrived in Iraq six weeks ago, members of his family said. He was the ninth serviceman with ties to Maine to be killed in Iraq.

His family reacted to the news of his death with “shock, terror, you name it,” said his mother-in-law Jane Keller.

It was not immediately clear if Roukey was one of the soldiers serving on a U.S. survey team looking for weapons of mass destruction when a building they were searching exploded. Two were killed in the explosion.

Gov. John Baldacci has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff the day of Roukey’s funeral. “Losing such a brave Maine citizen is a great tragedy,” he said in a written statement.

Also, U.S. Sen. Olympia Snowe promised to press officials at the Department of Defense to determine what happened, and U.S. Rep. Tom Allen extended his condolences to Roukey’s wife Ryann, son Nicholas and stepdaughter Sonya.

“The escalation of violence in recent weeks has levied a grim toll in death and injury,” Allen said in a written statement. “The American people remain steadfast in our support for the men and women of our Armed Forces.”

Meanwhile, a funeral service is scheduled Saturday in Portland for Spc. Christopher Gelineau, 23, an Army National Guard soldier, who was fatally injured last week in an ambush in Mosul in northern Iraq.

Funeral services will be held at the University of Southern Maine’s Sullivan Fitness Center.

Gelineau was a senior at USM and a member of the 133rd Engineer Battalion, which was activated late last year and sent to Iraq in March.

AP-ES-04-27-04 2210EDT