DUNBAR, Pa. (AP) A former soldier blinded by shrapnel while serving in Iraq was found alive Tuesday night, a day after he disappeared after telling an ex-girlfriend he was depressed, police and his family said.

Salvatore ``Sam'' Ross Jr., 23, of Dunbar Township, will be admitted to a veterans' hospital psychiatric unit for observation, his aunt, Tina Pifer, told The Associated Press.

Ross was found at about 9:30 p.m. Tuesday near a water tower in a wooded area of the township, where he had built a small fire near a walking trail, Pifer said. He was taken to Highlands Hospital in Connellsville though he didn't appear to be injured, and was then to be transferred to a veteran's hospital in Pittsburgh, she said.

Ross ``didn't say much to anybody,'' after he was found, said Pifer, who spoke briefly with him. ``He just said he wanted everybody to leave him alone and he didn't want to live anymore.''

Army veteran Joe Basinger was one of about 80 volunteers who searched for Ross and one of five searchers who found him. ``In the military, we don't leave anybody behind,'' Basinger said.

Ross, a former combat engineer with the 82nd Airborne Division, was wounded on May 18, 2003, while disposing of munitions near Baghdad. He was carrying a mine in a sand-filled shovel to a disposal pit when it exploded. The accident left him with no sight and a prosthetic leg.

An Associated Press story in January about Ross's plight prompted hundreds of people to donate money, goods and services to help Ross, said Pifer, who has fielded the offers for him.

Pifer said she was surprised by his disappearance because the foundation was recently laid on the log cabin home that Ross had dreamed of building. All the materials have been donated, and a recent fundraiser for him in Philadelphia brought in $20,000, she said.

Relatives said Ross threatened suicide in a call and a note before he left. They were concerned because the second anniversary of the Baghdad explosion was coming up next week.

``I just don't understand what low he's at right now because everything seemed to be coming together with building his house,'' Pifer said. ``But, you know what? This kid is suffering so bad from depression. People just don't understand the things this kid has been through over the last two years.''

In late January, Ross was charged with aggravated assault, criminal mischief and other offenses stemming from a scuffle with a woman, two men and two police officers. He is awaiting trial on those charges.

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Trooper Ross is obviously fighting demons from his war. I am trying to round up the nearest chapter (Leonard Funk Chapter) to sponser him a membership. If not I'll pay for an All American membership out of my own pocket. We have a Trooper left behind. Time for an extraction.