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Soldiers remembered for their dedication

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published January 27, 2007

"You don't have to love the war," Pvt. Johnathon M. Millican wrote on his MySpace page, "but you have to love the warrior."

He was one of four soldiers killed after militants abducted them Jan. 20 from the governor's office in Karbala, Iraq, in a sophisticated sneak attack, the military confirmed Friday.

The four soldiers, and a fifth killed in the attack itself, were remembered for their compassion and their dedication.

"He always wanted to be in the military," said Karen Mezger, a friend of 1st Lt. Jacob Fritz's family and a counselor at the rural Nebraska high school he attended. "He was there because he believed in it."

Millican, 20, of Trafford, Ala., talked with his wife, Shannon, by Web cam the day he was abducted, said Linda Hill of Locust Fork, whom Millican lived with for 2 1/2 years before graduating high school.

Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, who was not abducted but was killed in the attack, was a former member of the Army World Class Athlete Program who competed in bobsled and skeleton with the U.S. national team.

Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Neb., was a 2005 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., who played football, basketball and ran track in high school. Fritz's 22-year-old brother, Daniel, followed in his footsteps and is to graduate from West Point next year, Mezger said.

Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Homer, N.Y., followed three of his older brothers into the Army - all still on active duty but none currently in Iraq.

One of 13 brothers and sisters, Falter was remembered in his hometown as hardworking but easygoing.

Spc. Johnathan Bryan Chism, 22, of Prairieville, La., was a Boy Scout who enjoyed skydiving and rock climbing and became an artillery specialist.

Fast Facts:

Troops killed

The Defense Department has released the names of troops killed Jan. 20 but clearly identified only one as being killed because of the sneak attack.

Capt. Brian S. Freeman, 31, of Temecula, Calif., "died of wounds suffered when his meeting area came under attack by mortar and small arms fire."

The only other troops killed that day in that region of Iraq were four Army soldiers said to have been "ambushed while conducting dismounted operations" in Karbala.

The four were identified as:

- 1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Neb.

- Spc. Johnathan B. Chism, 22, of Prairieville, La.

- Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Homer, N.Y.

- Pvt. Johnathon M. Millican, 20, of Trafford, Ala.

[Last modified January 27, 2007, 00:48:52]