Army Sgt. Carl L. Seigart

Died February 14, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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32, San Luis Obispo, Calif.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas; died Feb. 14 in Baqubah, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Also killed were Spc. Ronnie G. Madore Jr. and Sgt. John D. Rode.

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Soldier with Mississippi ties reported killed

The Associated Press

PICAYUNE, Miss. — Army Sgt. Carl Leonard Seigart, whose wife and four stepchildren live in Picayune, was killed in Iraq on Valentine’s Day as he participated in a tank recovery mission, his family said.

“We were notified yesterday that he was killed while on the mission,” said Jessica Moeller, the soldier’s stepdaughter. She said Seigart was a tank mechanic with the 1st Cavalry, 3rd Battalion, out of Fort Hood, Texas.

Radio station WRJW in Picayune reported that other family members were told Seigart died near Balad, Iraq. The family said they were told he was killed by an improvised explosive device.

There was no information on Seigart’s death on the Department of Defense Web site on Thursday.

Moeller said her mother, Suzanne Smith Seigart, had lived with her stepfather in Killeen, Texas, but had recently returned to Picayune.

She said her mother had health concerns and was staying with her while Seigart was overseas on his first tour in Iraq. He had been in the Army for 14 years.

She said Seigart was a native of San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Moeller, whose husband Jonathan was a close friend of Seigart, said Seigart’s mother lived in California but he had no additional details.

Jessica Moeller said other survivors include her three brothers — Josh, Sam and Jake — and their families.

The family was told that the serviceman’s body would not be returned to the U.S. for about a week. Jonathan Moeller said Seigart’s funeral would be held in Picayune.

Suzanne Seigart had a difficult time on Wednesday but “she’s better today,” he said. “She’s improving. She has a lot of support.”

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Army sergeant killed in Iraq made love of cars a military career

The Associated Press

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Army Sgt. Carl L. Seigart loved cars and loved to help people, twin passions he turned into a 14-year career with the military.

After Hurricane Katrina hit, the 32-year-old tank mechanic packed up supplies at Fort Hood, Texas, and traveled to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to aid his wife’s family.

“He was a very dedicated solider who believed in his job,” his wife, Suzanne Seigart, told the Picayune Item in Picayune, Miss., about 50 miles north of New Orleans.

Seigart, who served with the Army’s 1st Calvary Division, died Wednesday in Baqubah, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle, the Department of Defense said. His unit worked to recover stranded tanks, Humvees and bulldozers, the Item reported.

A native of San Luis Obispo, Seigart joined the Army shortly after graduating from high school there, where he loved working on cars in auto shop class.

“Everybody loved him there,” said his mother, Darlene Seigart.

Seigart had been married to his wife for six years and had taken on her four children as his own, Suzanne Seigart said.

Seigart’s family plans to hold services for him in Picayune, where his wife was living while he was deployed.