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Land Mine Kills N.H. Soldier
in Afghanistan Illinois
native killed in Iraq
Civilian truck drivers from Florida, Georgia, killed in Iraq Land Mine Kills N.H. Soldier in Afghanistan June 1, 2004 Army Captain Daniel W. Eggers, 28, came from a long line of military men. His father was an Army door gunner in Vietnam. His grandfather helped lay ocean cable lines from Greenland to Puerto Rico during World War II. And his great-grandfather was a member of the Rough Riders, a regiment commanded by Theodore Roosevelt, during the Boxer Rebellion and the Spanish-American War. But unlike these men, Eggers, a soldier in the First Battalion, Third Special Forces Group (Airborne) serving in Afghanistan, would not survive combat. Eggers, who grew up in Hollis, N.H., died Saturday in Kandahar after his vehicle struck a land mine. Eggers, 28, was killed along with two other soldiers, Staff Sergeant Robert J. Mogensen, 26, of Leesville, La., and Private First Class Joseph A. Jeffries, 21, who was assigned to the Army Reserve's 329th Psychological Operations Company, according to the US Department of Defense. According to the Associated Press, Petty Officer First Class Brian J. Ouellette, 37, a 15-year Navy veteran, was one of four servicemen who died on Saturday when the Humvee they were in ran over a mine. According to a military official, Ouellette was a fourth casualty in the explosion. Ouellette grew up in Waltham and graduated from Waltham High School. His mother now lives in Maynard. Eggers, a Citadel graduate fluent in Arabic, moved to Cape Coral, Fla., when he was about 12 years old. His father, William Eggers, moved the family from New England after he retired from the Milford Police Department in 1987. The eldest of seven children, Eggers was a role model to his brothers and sisters, his father said. "Everything they did they thought was important, they sought his approval," William Eggers said. This was particularly true of Billy Eggers, 22, who was deployed to Iraq last year at around the same time his older brother went to Afghanistan. He joined the Army after Daniel Eggers advised it, William Eggers said. After a brief leave, Billy Eggers will return to Iraq June 17. "Some of the brothers and sisters aren't too happy about that, but we don't want to discourage him because Danny was his role model, and he doesn't want to let Danny down," William Eggers said. Daniel Eggers's grandfather, Francis Donovan, and aunt, Dorothy D'Vann, live in New Boston, N.H. "He was very smart. He was studious," D'Vann said. "Oh, he was caring. He didn't have a mean streak. He loved his family."Eggers leaves behind a wife, Rebecca, and two sons, 3 and 5, who live in North Carolina. Rebecca Eggers, an Army captain, was supposed to be deployed three times, but the military never sent her, William Eggers said. William Eggers said he knew little about his son's mission in Afghanistan. The only information he has of his son's death came in a letter an Army major handed the family on Saturday. It said Eggers's vehicle averted one land mine, only to hit another. "The Secretary of the Army extends his deepest sympathy to you and your family for your loss," William Eggers said, quoting from the letter. "That's the only thing I know." Marine Corps Captain Bruce Frame, a spokesman for US Central Command, said because Eggers was a member of the Special Forces Group, which undertakes specific ongoing missions, little information could be released about his death. "The nature of their business is such that they don't want the enemy to know about tactics, equipment, or anything they do," Frame said. "Ninety percent of the information that would be available with conventional forces is not available with special operations forces," he said. © Copyright Boston Globe 2004. Illinois native killed in Iraq June 1, 2004 An Illinois native who recently reenlisted to serve a longer tour of duty in Iraq was killed Thursday in a land mine explosion, his family said. U.S. Army Sgt. Christopher Wagener, 24, of Fairview Heights, died near Mosul, Iraq, and appeared to have died instantly, according to his father Ken Wagener. He added that the family was seeking more information about the incident. "We are trying to find out whether he suffered or not," Ken Wagener said, speaking by telephone Thursday night from his home in Fairview Heights, a metro-east town about 10 miles from St. Louis. Christopher Wagener was a helicopter repair technician from an aviation unit based in Fort Drum, New York. He graduated from Belleville East High School and immediately joined the military, his father said. After six years in the Army, he had the chance to leave the service after a short stint in Iraq, but chose to re-enlist in February, his father said. "He often e-mailed or called, the last time last week," his father said. "He loved what he was doing. He had no complaints." Wagener is survived by his father, mother and sister. © Copyright Associated Press 2004. Civilian truck drivers from Florida, Georgia, killed in Iraq June 22, 2004 Two truck drivers, one from Florida, were killed in Irag this month while working for Halliburton subsidiary KBR, the company has announced. Both died when suspected land mines exploded under their convoys. Walter J. Zbryski, 56, of Montverde, Fla., died Thursday, and a statement on his death was posted Friday. James Gregory "Greg" Wingate, 36, of Monticello, Ga., was killed on June 5. Wingate's death was announced June 7 on the company's Web site. Halliburton said the men died in service to their country and the Iraqi people. "We strongly urge you to respect the privacy of the family during this difficult situation. KBR closely monitors the fluid situation in Iraq and works closely with coalition authorities to ensure the safety and security of all our personnel in the region," the company said. Two other truck drivers working for KBR -- William Bradley of Chesterfield, N.H., and Timothy Bell of Mobile, Ala., have been missing since April 9 when their fuel convoy was attacked outside Baghdad. More than 24,000 workers and subcontractors for KBR, formerly known as Kellogg, Brown & Root, work in the Iraq-Kuwait region. Their duties include extinguishing oil well fires and cleaning oil sites. They can earn up to $120,000 tax-free for a year's service with overtime pay. Forty-one Halliburton workers have been killed there, many of whom were truck drivers. The violence toward civilians prompted some companies, including Siemens AG and General Electric, to suspend some operations in the region. Halliburton said in a news release that its commitment in the region remains unchanged. Montverde is in Lee County, Fla., on the western shore of Lake Apopka. © Copyright Associated Press 2004. |
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