Army Pfc. Katie M. Soenksen

Died May 2, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Davenport, Iowa; assigned to the 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Fort Hood, Texas; died May 2 in Baghdad of wounds sustained when an improvised explosive device detonated near her vehicle.

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Davenport, Iowa, woman killed in Iraq

By James Beltran

The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 19-year-old Davenport woman was killed in an explosion in Iraq, family members said May 3.

Army Pfc. Katie Soenksen, a 2005 graduate of Davenport North High School, was conducting a security mission May 2 in Baghdad when her convoy was attacked, said her father, Ronald Soenksen.

Katie Soenksen is the third Iowa woman to die in Iraq and the second Iowa soldier to die in Baghdad in the last five days. Army Pfc. Brian Botello, 19, of Alta, was killed in combat April 28.

Katie Soenksen’s father said she arrived in Iraq last summer and was due back home in June. She was part of the 410th Military Police Company based in Fort Hood, Texas, he said.

“She was determined in everything she did in her life,” Ronald Soenksen told The Associated Press. “She was determined to make a difference.”

Ronald Soenksen said he last talked to her May 1 and that she told him she was preparing for a mission the next day. On the afternoon of May 2, the Army visited his home to tell him she was dead.

Despite his loss, the father said he supports the mission in Iraq and never tried to discourage his daughter from joining the Army.

“She was on a mission,” he said. “She wanted to go over there and keep [the war] on foreign soil. That was her main goal.”

In a letter posted on a Department of Defense Web site, Katie Soenksen thanked Americans for supporting the troops and acknowledged the difficulty of leaving home.

“Being deployed is one of the hardest things to do,” according to the letter posted on www.americasupportsyou.mil. “But being here makes me realize how good we have it in America. Even though being over here is hard I’m glad I’m over here. ... Just seeing how some of them are living just hurts me inside.”

Her father said she was influenced by her godfather and niece, who both joined the military. She prepared herself for an Army career by joining the ROTC in high school, he said.

“She loved it,” Ronald Soenksen said. “She knew what she was doing when she got into it.”

He said his daughter believed she was doing good in Iraq and that she was upset about how the media was portraying the situation.

He said it was natural to feel some fear for his daughter’s safety, but she often “talked about how much fun she was having.”

Military officials did not immediately return a phone message left May 3.

Katie Soenksen is the 52nd Iowan killed in Iraq or Afghanistan, according to an AP count.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

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Hundreds bid farewell to Davenport soldier

The Associated Press

DAVENPORT, Iowa — Hundreds of people packed a Davenport church May 10 to say goodbye to Army Pfc. Katie Soenksen.

The 19-year-old Davenport woman was killed May 2 in Iraq when her convoy was attacked.

After the service at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, a miles-long procession escorted her remains to the National Cemetery on Arsenal Island. The route was lined with children and adults holding American flags, saluting and holding their hands over their hearts.

The playing of Taps and a 21-gun salute prompted a wave of sobs from those gathered at her graveside. An Army official presented American flags to Soenksen’s mother and husband.

The family then slowly formed a circle around the cremated remains and held hands. Her father Ronald counted to three, so their final words to her would come in unison: “We love you, Katie.”

Many gently touched the box, some laid a flower at its side.

Her husband, Spc. Benjamin Rowella, then saluted his wife of less than a year one last time. He was the last to walk away.

At the church service, Soenksen was remembered as a devoted soldier who believed she was making a difference in Iraq.

Monsignor James Parizek delivered the eulogy, recalling Soenksen’s “zest for life, her courageous embrace of serving a grateful nation in this war against terrorism.”

“So let no one forget her heroism or her enthusiasm for the job she freely chose to do for her country, her dogged determination to succeed,” he said. “She was, after all, strong-willed and stubborn, willing to buck heads with anyone who stood in her way of doing what she needed to do.”

Her family nodded. Smiles appeared on their teary faces.

“As her mom said: She did exactly what she wanted to do,”’ Parizek said. “Katie was convinced that her presence in Iraq was making a difference in the lives of Iraqi people.”

Soenksen, a 2005 graduate of Davenport North High School, was conducting a security mission in Baghdad when her convoy was attacked. She was the third Iowa woman to die in Iraq and the second Iowa soldier to die in Baghdad in a four-day span. Army Pfc. Brian Botello, 19, of Alta, was the other victim.

Soenksen was part of the 410th Military Police Company based in Fort Hood, Texas.