A Memorial Day Tribute to Iowa’s Fallen Soldiers

A tribute to the 11 soldiers with Iowa ties, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past year:

In Memory of…

Army Maj. Stuart Wolfer, 36, who served in Des Moines from May 1994 to November 1996 with the Army Reserve’s 19th Theatre Army Area Command of Fort Des Moines, and was killed April 6, 2008 in Baghdad, Iraq.

Marine Lance Cpl. Cody Wanken, 20, of Hampton who died April 2 at the Wounded Warriors hospital in San Diego from injuries sustained in Fallujah in Sept. 2007.

Army Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, of Kingsley, who was shot and killed Feb. 17, 2008, in the Diyala province northeast of Baghdad.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert J. Miller, 24, a former University of Iowa student and Iowa City resident, who was killed Jan. 25, 2008 in Barikowt, Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Adrian Hike, 26, of Ralston, who died Nov. 12, 2007, while on patrol in Afghanistan.

Army Sgt. Joseph B. Milledge, 23, who died Oct. 5, 2007, when a roadside bomb exploded in Baghdad, Iraq.

Army Sgt. Kevin Gilbertson, 25, of Cedar Rapids, who was shot and killed Aug. 31, 2007, in Ramadi, Iraq.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Scott Carney, 37, of Ankeny, who died Aug. 24 near Heart, Afghanistan, when the Humvee in which he was a passenger rolled during a convoy operation.

Marine Sgt. Jon Bonnell Jr., 22, of Fort Dodge, who died in an explosion Aug. 7, 2007, in Al Anbar, Iraq.

Army Pfc. Michael Patrick Pittman, 34, a Davenport native, who was killed in an explosion June 15, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq.

Army Cpl. Llythaniele Fender, 21, a 2004 graduate of West Monona High School in Onawa, who was killed June 10, 2007, in an explosion in Karbala, Iraq.

In Memory of the other 56 soldiers with Iowa ties, who paid the ultimate sacrifice in Iraq and Afghanistan since March 2003:


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In Memory of…

The 853 Iowans who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the war in Vietnam,

the 392 Iowans who were killed in the Korean War,

the 5,633 Iowans who died while serving in World War II.

and all of the other soldiers, Iowans and otherwise, who died in combat while serving the United States Armed Forces.

Culver Orders Flags to be Flown Half Staff for Soldier Killed in Iraq

Gov. Chet Culver ordered Friday that all flags in the state be flown at half staff on Monday, April 14, 2008, from 8 a.m. (CST) until sunset in honor of Maj. Stuart Wolfer, 36, who died on April 6, 2008 while serving in Iraq. Wolfer served in Des Moines from May 1994 through November 1996 with the Army Reserve's 19th Theatre Army Area Command of Fort Des Moines. Funeral services were held in Friday, April 11 in Des Moines.

The U.S. Department of Defense said Wolfer, who was deployed to Iraq in December 2007, died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with indirect fire. He was assigned to the 11th Battalion, 104th Division of Boise, Idaho.

Wolfer is survived by his wife, Lee Anne, whom he met while stationed in Iowa in 1995, and their three daughters: Lillian Wade, 5; Melissa Lacey-Marie, 3; and Isadora Ruth, 1. The Wolfers currently reside in the Emmett, Idaho, area.

Culver Orders Flags to be Flown Half-Staff for Fallen Hampton Soldier

Gov. Chet Culver has ordered that all flags in the state be flown at half staff from 8 a.m. until sunset on Thursday, April 10, in honor of Marine Lance Cpl. Cody Wanken, 20, of Hampton who died April 2 at the Wounded Warriors hospital in San Diego. Services for Wanken will be held Thursday at 10:00 a.m. at the Hampton-Dumont High School in Hampton.

Wanken was injured in Sept. 2007, when he suffered eye, ear and other facial injuries while in Fallujah, and was then transferred to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., where he underwent surgery. His parents, Rick and Susan Wanken of Hampton, said that his death was related to the injuries sustained in Iraq.

However, spokesperson 2nd Lt. Jaymie Sicking of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton in San Diego would not release details about his death, saying it is under investigation.

Wanken was a machine gunner in the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
Wanken, a 2006 graduate of Hampton-Dumont High School, was the 2005-06 president of the Iowa Jobs for America’s Graduates, Hampton-Dumont chapter. A standout football player, Wanken was named to the Class 3A, District 2 defensive team after his senior year.

In September, Des Moines Register columnist John Carlson reached Wanken by phone a day after surgery to talk with him about a letter he had written to himself and eventually sent to his parents. At that time, Wanken didn't want to discuss much about what had happened in Iraq, but wanted his friends back home to know he would be home soon for a visit."I haven't been home in a while," Wanken told Carlson.

"I just want to get back to Iowa and hang out with my family."Wanken did make it back to Iowa for a visit and spoke to students at Hampton-Dumont High School, where he graduated in 2006, Principal Trent Grundmeyer told the Des Moines Register.

"I wasn't principal here when he was in high school, but he did a very nice job talking to the students," Grundmeyer said.

Grundmeyer said it was a positive meeting, and that he thanked Wanken for serving his country."One thing I remember specifically about what he said is that the news media doesn't catch exactly what's going on over in Iraq. People don't see all the really horrific things, but they also don't see all the positive things," Grundmeyer said. "He had been injured pretty badly. I could tell ... there were scars on his jaw and it was a challenge for him to talk."

Wanken's body arrived at the Des Moines International airport Tuesday before being transported to Hampton.

Wanken was the 66th person with Iowa ties to die in Iraq or Afghanistan since March 2003.

Mapping Iowa's Fallen Soldiers


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Originally posted on "Iowa Independent"