Army Pfc. Shawn C. Edwards

Died April 23, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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20, of Bensenville, Ill.; assigned to 121st Signal Battalion, 1st Infantry Division, from Kitzingen, Germany; killed April 23 when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Samarra, Iraq.

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Pfc. Shawn C. Edwards' father said when his son told him he planned to enlist in the military, he had some of the best possible reasons to back up his decision. "Whenever your son comes to you and says,

‘Well, I could use the discipline, and I don't want you to worry about my education,' what do you say to that?" said his father, Glen Edwards. Edwards, 20, of Bensenville, Ill., died April 23 in Samarra, Iraq, when a roadside bomb detonated near his convoy. He was based in Kitzingen, Germany. The high school football player and wrestler decided to enlist during his junior year. Edwards enjoyed tinkering with things, said his sister, Robin. His task in Iraq was setting up cellular communication networks. "He was so proud to wear that uniform," she said. "Every time we saw Shawn in his uniform, his chest was pumped."

— Associated Press