Army Sgt. Travis L. Burkhardt

Died June 6, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Edina, Mo.; assigned to 170th Military Police Company, Fort Lewis, Wash.; killed on June 6 in Baghdad, Iraq. Burkhardt was part of an escort mission when the vehicle he was in hit a curb along the road and rolled over.

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Travis Lee Burkhardt joined the Army in 1995 to pursue an interest in law enforcement.

“He wanted to be a policeman,” said Burkhardt’s father, David Burkhardt. “He had always been interested in law enforcement.”

David Burkhardt said his son was a highly honored soldier who most recently received an Army award for saving a life in 2002.

“Travis was a patriotic man with a great sense of duty and compassion, and he was a very good father to his children,” he said.

Burkhardt is survived by his wife, Rose; two children, Soliga, 3, and Christian, 1; his parents, David Burkhardt of Edina, and Kathy Shipley of Kahoka, Mo.; one brother, Justin; and one sister, Alicia Burkhardt of Edina and Kahoka.