Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Ruoff Jr.

Died July 1, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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31, of Yosemite, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Schweinfurt, Germany; died July 1 in Ta’meem, Iraq, of wounds sustained from enemy small-arms fire. Also killed was Sgt. 1st Class Raymond R. Buchan.

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Yosemite soldier killed in enemy fire in Iraq

The Associated Press

YOSEMITE, Calif. — A soldier from Yosemite was killed by enemy fire in Iraq, the Defense Department said July 3.

Staff Sgt. Michael L. Ruoff Jr., 31, died July 1 of wounds suffered from enemy small-arms fire in Ta’meem, an area where American forces have been struggling with insurgents since 2003, officials said.

Sgt. 1st Class Raymond R. Buchan, 33, of Johnston, Pa., also was killed in the attack, officials said.

Ruoff was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 77th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, in Schweinfurt, Germany. He joined the Army in 1994 at the age of 18 and was stationed for a time at Fort Carson, Colo.

His family lives in Colorado.