Army Pvt. Matthew T. Zeimer

Died February 2, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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18, of Glendive, Mont.; assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.; died Feb. 2 in Ramadi, Iraq, of injuries sustained when he came in contact with enemy forces using small arms fire. Also killed was Spc. Alan E. McPeek.

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Soldier and replacement die fighting together

By Michelle Tan

Staff writer

CAMP RAMADI, Iraq — Spc. Alan Eugene McPeek was just days away from completing his 14-month tour in Iraq. Pvt. Matthew Thomas Zeimer had been at Combat Outpost Grant for less than two hours.

Close to 1 a.m. Friday, on what was supposed to be his last night at Combat Outpost Grant in central Ramadi, McPeek and his fellow soldiers came under attack. It was an intense and coordinated attack launched by insurgents from nearby buildings and streets.

McPeek, 20, and Zeimer, 18, ran together to the roof to fight back.

McPeek took Zeimer, a member of the 3rd Infantry Division unit set to replace the outgoing soldiers, under his wing. He coached him and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the young private as they fought for their lives.

But a shot fired from what commanders believe was a recoilless rifle blasted through the reinforced concrete wall near McPeek and Zeimer. The impact killed them both.

McPeek, with Company A, 16th Engineer Battalion, was attached to Task Force 1-37 Armor while he was in Iraq. Zeimer belonged to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor.

On Tuesday, more than 350 soldiers gathered in the dining facility on Camp Ramadi to honor the two young men, one a veteran of combat, the other a young soldier fresh from training. Both fought fiercely until the end.

“Whenever we lose someone we love, it hurts,” Chaplain Nathan Kline, of 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor, said during the 40-minute service. “Our instincts tell us to avoid suffering and discomfort, but avoiding and repressing painful thoughts can be selfish. Our brothers deserve to be missed. We cannot honor them without remembering them. Remembering the fallen is a sacred duty none of us can afford to shirk.”

The dining facility where the service took place was transformed from a typically noisy, messy place into a quiet, sacred hall set aside to honor the two soldiers.

Two helmets placed over two rifles, accompanied by two pairs of combat boots, sat on an altar in the front. The soldiers’ Bronze Star and Purple Heart medals flanked each rifle.

Their photos, images frozen in time, smiled down on the soldiers who had gathered to grieve their loss as music written by a soldier from the 1-37 floated from loudspeakers.

A recording of the service and taped messages from the soldiers who knew McPeek and Zeimer will be sent to their families.

Lt. Col. Michael Silverman, commander of 3-69, spoke about Zeimer’s dedication to his country and how important he was to his fellow soldiers.

“The time came to enter the world of war [and] he fought for his nation, his Army, his buddies,” Silverman said. “He fought like a veteran. What we are all asked to do is answer the call to arms with the same courage and tenacity as Matthew.”

Zeimer, who joined the Army on June 13, 2006, was proud to be a soldier, and he was determined, helpful and kind, said Spc. David Seth, one of Zeimer’s close friends. He often talked about his family and his fianc©e, and how much he looked forward to being reunited with them.

“Matthew wasn’t interested in being a hero,” Seth said. “Being a soldier was good enough for him.”

McPeek, who enlisted on June 30, 2004, was a natural leader, a warrior and a skilled sapper, said Lt. Col. V.J. Tedesco III, commander of the 1-37, a unit also known as the Bandits.

“His final act of professionalism as a soldier placed him in the line of fire,” Tedesco said. “It breaks my heart. I will never understand why God chose to call Specialist McPeek home on his last day of service in Iraq. [But] the Bandits do not fail those with whom they serve, and we will not fail Specialist Alan McPeek.”

Spc. Solomon McCabe, one of McPeek’s best friends, said his buddy always knew how to keep his fellow soldiers motivated.

“No matter how difficult the missions, McPeek was always there to lighten the mood and get us through those tight spaces,” McCabe said. “Specialist McPeek, we will always miss and love you. You’re in our hearts and we’ll never forget you.”

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Soldier from Glendive killed in Iraq

HELENA, Mont. — Military authorities on Monday identified a soldier from Montana as one of two killed Feb. 2 in Ramadi, Iraq.

The Department of Defense said Pvt. Matthew T. Zeimer, 18, of Glendive, Mont., died of injuries he received in a firefight with enemy forces.

Zeimer was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

The department identified the second soldier killed as Spc. Alan E. McPeek, 20, of Tucson, Ariz. He was assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany.

No additional details on the deaths were immediately available late Monday.

Zeimer was a 2006 graduate of Dawson County High School, where he participated in choir and the Jobs for Montana Students Club.

Serving in the military was his dream, government teacher Patsy Ferco said.

“He worked hard join the military and took the military aptitude tests three or four times to get in because it was so important to him,” Ferco told KXGN-AM. “He wanted to be a military man.”

Zeimer came home for Christmas and received extra time off to help recruiters at his school, she said.

Ferco added that Zeimer was “gung-ho” about serving in Iraq.

“He said to me, ‘That’s what I’ve trained for — this is the mission,”‘ she said.

Principal Bruce Clausen said he learned of Zeimer’s death Sunday night and offered counseling to students on Monday. He described Zeimer as a polite young man who enjoyed working in the school’s vocational education program.

Clausen also said Zeimer was passionate about joining the military and was proud to serve his country.

“He didn’t baulk about the opportunity to go to Iraq,” Clausen told The Billings Gazette. “He was red, white and blue from the inside out and wanted to do whatever he could to provide service to his country — and that was verbatim.”

Clausen said Zeimer is survived by his parents, Ned and Janet Seymour of Glendive, and four siblings, including a twin sister, Tonya Zeimer, also of Glendive.

Zeimer’s body is expected to be returned to Glendive in the next week to 10 days. Funeral services are pending.

According to military records, Zeimer is the 15th Montanan to die in Iraq.

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Fort Stewart soldier from Montana killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

HELENA, Mont. — Military authorities have identified a soldier from Montana as one of two killed Feb. 2 in Ramadi, Iraq.

The Department of Defense said Pvt. Matthew T. Zeimer, 18, of Glendive, Mont., died of injuries he received in a firefight with enemy forces.

Zeimer was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 69th Armor Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Ga.

The department identified the second soldier killed as Spc. Alan E. McPeek, 20, of Tucson, Ariz. He was assigned to the 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Giessen, Germany.

No additional details on the deaths were immediately available late Feb. 5..

Zeimer was a 2006 graduate of Dawson County High School, where he participated in choir and the Jobs for Montana Students Club.

Serving in the military was his dream, government teacher Patsy Ferco said.

“He worked hard to join the military and took the military aptitude tests three or four times to get in because it was so important to him,” Ferco told KXGN-AM. “He wanted to be a military man.”

Zeimer came home for Christmas and received extra time off to help recruiters at his school, she said.

Ferco added that Zeimer was “gung-ho” about serving in Iraq.

“He said to me, ‘That’s what I’ve trained for — this is the mission,’ ” she said.

Principal Bruce Clausen said he learned of Zeimer’s death Feb. 4 and offered counseling to students the next day. He described Zeimer as a polite young man who enjoyed working in the school’s vocational education program.

Clausen also said Zeimer was passionate about joining the military and was proud to serve his country.

“He didn’t balk about the opportunity to go to Iraq,” Clausen told The Billings Gazette. “He was red, white and blue from the inside out and wanted to do whatever he could to provide service to his country — and that was verbatim.”

Clausen said Zeimer is survived by his parents, Ned and Janet Seymour of Glendive, and four siblings, including a twin sister, Tonya Zeimer, also of Glendive.

Zeimer’s body is expected to be returned to Glendive in the next week to 10 days. Funeral services are pending.