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- The People Behind The Sacrifice
Army Sgt. 1st Class John S. Stephens
Died March 15, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom
41, of San Antonio; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, Fort Riley, Kansas; died March 15 in Tikrit, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his patrol came under attack during combat operations.
Soldier from Oregon killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
LA GRANDE, Ore. — Sgt. 1st Class John S. Stephens, a soldier from Oregon, has died in Iraq, according to his family.
His father, Gene Stephens, said his son was driving a command vehicle when he was hit by an explosive device. The family is still awaiting the official report.
Stephens, 43, was born in Prineville, Ore. His family moved to La Grande when he was young, and he was raised there. He graduated from La Grande High School.
Stephens, who was known as Scott to family and friends, had served in the military for more than 20 years and been to Iraq twice before. He worked as a medic and was deployed from Fort Riley, Kan., for this tour.
“He was a dedicated military man,” his father said. “He told us that he was doing his job, and when he went back to Iraq this time, he said he was going back to do his job and try and help people there.”
Stephens leaves his wife in Germany, three children and two grandchildren.
Fort Riley soldier killed in Iraq
The Associated Press
FORT RILEY, Kan. — A 41-year-old soldier from Fort Riley has been killed in Iraq, the Pentagon said March 20.
Sgt. 1st Class John S. Stephens, of La Grande, Ore., died March 15 from wounds he received when his patrol came under fire in Tikrit, an area north of Baghdad.
Stephens was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, as a member of a transition team advising Iraqi security forces. It was his second tour in Iraq. He joined the Army in April 2005 and began serving with the 1st Infantry Division in December 2004.
During his career, Stephens was trained as a health care specialist, including time spent at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, near San Antonio.
He previously had been awarded the Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Award and the NATO Medal twice. He was posthumously awarded a second Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Meritorious Service Award.
Stephens is the 85th Fort Riley soldier killed in Iraq since the war started in March 2004.