Army Sgt. Elmer C. Krause

Died April 9, 2004 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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40, of Greensboro, N.C.; assigned to 724th Transportation Company, Army Reserve, Bartonville, Ill.; unaccounted for in Iraq since April 9, when his convoy came under attack by individuals using rocket-propelled grenades and small-arms fire, his remains were recovered April 23.

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Son of fallen N.C. reservist comforted by friends, strangers

By Margaret Lillard

Associated Press

ASHEBORO, N.C. — At most funerals for troops who have died in combat in the Middle East, friends and family crowd into a church to pay tribute to the fallen.

But many attending an April 28 memorial service here for Sgt. Elmer Krause had never met the man.

About 100 people came to Central United Methodist Church to honor Krause, an Army reservist from Greensboro who would have turned 41 on April 26.

His remains were found in Iraq about two weeks after his convoy was attacked April 9. He was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 724th Transportation Company, Bartonville, Ill.

Krause’s 9-year-old son, Jonathan, was the only person at the service who was a direct relative. His dimpled face was a miniature version of the man whose smile was captured in a black-and-white photograph on the front of the program.

He stood solemnly at the end of the service, neatly dressed in a blue dress shirt and tie, to accept a folded flag presented to him with a salute by a uniformed young woman.

Krause is to be buried in his native California, where his brother and four sisters still live. A funeral there is being planned for a later date.

A number of those in attendance Wednesday were of Krause’s ex-wife, Suzette Winkler, and her husband, J.C. Others were members of Krause’s former reserve unit, based in Galax, Va., about two hours away.

A handful had no connection to Krause at all.

Mike Craven sat one row from the back of the church wearing the blue uniform and badge of a lieutenant with the Randolph County Sheriff’s Department.

Craven, himself a seven-year veteran of the North Carolina National Guard, said he felt compelled to honor a fellow service member.

“It’s funny, actually,” he said. “I was on my way home, and it dawned on me, ‘You need to turn around and come back and be here.”’

Krause, who worked as a truck driver, was remembered fondly by his fellow reservists as a humble, friendly man who was dedicated to military service. He spent about seven years in the Navy before joining the reserves just over a year ago.

“His personality made us feel he’d been there for a long time,” said Jay Kitts, a member of Krause’s unit in Virginia.

He said Krause had repeatedly asked to serve in Iraq, finally transferring to the Illinois-based company and shipping out in December.

But Krause’s greatest love, Kitts said, was his son.

“He loved you very much, and couldn’t wait until the time he could be back with you,” Kitts told the boy. “I’m glad I had the privilege to know your dad, Jonathan.”

Suzette Winkler said her ex-husband’s death was tragic, but also “brought our families together, where there had once been distance.”

She spoke with respect about his military service and with affection about his favorite things — his son, the San Francisco Giants, “whenever Jeff Gordon wins a race, sitting by the ocean, ... thick chocolate milkshakes, Bob Marley and eating at Cracker Barrel.”

“Elmer would have been surprised at the number of people around the country who have shown support for his family and friends,” she said. “For 13 long days, our family hoped and prayed to hear that Elmer had been found safe. But God had another plan for Elmer.”

She described how, when Krause was reported missing the day before Easter, she prayed for a sign telling her what had become of him. That night, she had a dream.

In it, she saw her former husband in heaven.

“And he was so happy. I’ve never seen anyone so elated,” she said after the service. “I held onto that.”

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Army says missing reservist, California native, is dead

RALEIGH, N.C. — An Army reservist originally from California who was missing in Iraq since his convoy was attacked April 9 was confirmed dead a day before his 41st birthday.

The remains of Sgt. Elmer Krause of Greensboro, N.C., were found Friday, according to a statement from the Department of Defense. He was assigned to the Army Reserve’s 724th Transportation Company, of Bartonville, Ill.

Krause grew up in Vallejo, east of San Francisco, according to his brother. He previously served in the Navy and moved to Greensboro four or five years ago, where friends said he worked as a painter at Timco Aviation Services.

“He went over there and he didn’t express any regrets. He expressed no concern about going over. He said in a conversation with me, ‘I’m not afraid to go,”’ Krause’s older brother, Jim Krause, told reporters during a news conference at the entrance to Travis Air Force Base, Calif.

Jim Krause, 51, said his brother said he hoped to provide leadership to younger soldiers.

“His birthday would have been tomorrow. He was more than 40 years old and going over to fight,” he said. “We grieve his loss. This is difficult for us, but his determination strengthens us.”

Another soldier and a contract worker, Pfc. Keith “Matt” Maupin of Batavia, Ohio, and Thomas Hamill of Macon, Miss., were abducted in the same attack in which Elmer Krause went missing. Both Maupin and Hamill, who have been seen alive on video footage, remain unaccounted for.

Elmer Krause was divorced and his 9-year-old son, Jonathan, lives in Asheboro, in central North Carolina, with his ex-wife, Suzette Winkler. Her husband, J.C. Winkler, said the family was told Friday evening that Krause’s remains had been identified.

“Our family mourns the loss of Sgt. Elmer Charles Krause,” he read from a prepared statement. “We appreciate the thoughts and prayers of all who have supported us.”

Winkler said funeral arrangements hadn’t been made yet.

Krause’s brother and four sisters live in California; his parents are deceased.

Jim Krause said his brother first entered the military when he was 21. Military officials said previously that Krause enlisted in the reserves in February 1987 and was promoted to sergeant in July 1995. He served first with the 424th Transportation Company, based in Galax, Va., and transferred to the 724th Transportation Company last November.

— Associated Press