Army Spc. Dustin L. Workman II

Died June 28, 2007 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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19, of Greenwood, Neb.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died June 28 of wounds sustained when his unit was attacked in Baghdad by insurgents using improvised explosive devices. Also killed were Sgt. Shin W. Kim, Sgt. Michael J. Martinez, Sgt. Giann C. Joya Mendoza and Pfc. Cory F. Hiltz.

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Greenwood man died in Iraq, family says

The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — A 19-year-old Greenwood man died June 28 in Iraq in an attack on a complex, according to family.

Spc. Dustin L. Workman II was a member of the 2/12 Infantry Battalion, B Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, of Fort Carson, Colo., his mother Valerie Workman told the Omaha World-Herald.

“We grieve for the loss of our son, brother and grandson,” she said in a brief statement released June 29. “He served his country with honor.”

Workman graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High in 2005.

Jon Richards, a guidance counselor at the school, recalled Workman as a strong-willed young man who knew as a freshman or sophomore that he wanted to enlist in the Army.

Richards said Workman’s younger brother, Korey, will be a freshman this fall, and a sister, Krysta, will be an eighth-grader.

“I know that they are a very close-knit family and this will be a tough on all of them,” Richards said.

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Family, teachers remember Nebraska soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

Army Spc. Dustin L. Workman II’s mother had tried to dissuade him from joining the military, but that only hardened his resolve.

“He is a very strong-willed person,” said Valerie Workman.

“If you tell him not to do something, then that was what he was going to do.”

Workman, 19, of Greenwood, Neb., was killed June 28 in Baghdad by improvised explosive devices. He was a 2005 high school graduate and was assigned to Fort Carson, Colo.

“He just wanted to be a police officer,” said his mother. “He figured it was good training if he joined the Army first.”

Bette Starns, an English teacher, said she remembered Workman as a likable boy who had to do extra work to graduate on time.

“He wasn’t crazy about the books,” Starns said. “He liked working on cars and mechanical things. He was a hands-on kind of kid.”

His former guidance counselor Jon Richards recalled Workman as a strong-willed young man who knew as a freshman or sophomore that he wanted to enlist.

“He did his best to adapt and get through school so that he could enlist and give himself some time to figure things out,” Richards said.

He also is survived by his father, Dustin Sr.

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Services for Greenwood soldier set for July 7

The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. — Services for a Greenwood soldier killed last week in Iraq have been scheduled for July 7.

The Department of Defense confirmed July 1 that Spc. Dustin L. Workman II and four other members of his unit were killed June 28 in Baghdad by improvised explosive devices.

The 19-year-old was a member of the 2nd Battalion 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. That unit is based at Fort Carson, Colo.

Workman’s body was expected to be flown to Lincoln on July 5, according to the Patriot Guard Riders, a group of motorcyclists that bear flags for fallen soldiers.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. July 7 at New Covenant Community Church in Lincoln. Burial will follow in Ashland Cemetery.

Workman’s mother Valerie Workman issued a brief statement June 29 saying that her son served his country with honor and family members were grieving for his loss.

Workman graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High in 2005.

In addition to his parents, Workman is survived by his younger brother, Korey, who will be a high school freshman this fall, and a sister, Krysta, who will be in eighth grade.

Workman is the 51st service member with Nebraska connections to have died in Afghanistan or Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

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Services held for Fort Carson soldier killed in Iraq

The Associated Press

LINCOLN, Neb. — Services were held July 8 for a Greenwood soldier based at Fort Carson, Colo., who was killed in Iraq last week.

Friends and family among the 350 who attended the service said Dustin L. Workman II was loyal to his friends, fun-loving and creative.

“He was the best friend a guy could ask for,” said 19-year-old Josh Williams of Ashland. “He’d always find ways to make you laugh.”

Workman and four other members of his unit were killed June 28 in Baghdad by improvised explosive devices. He was 19.

Workman was a member of the 2nd Battalion 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Carson.

Tom Stricklin, a member of that unit, read a letter from Workman’s Fort Carson roommate.

Workman “always found a way to get into trouble,” Stricklin said the roommate wrote.

Stricklin said Workman was “an unforgettable guy.”

Workman graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High in 2005.

One of his former English teachers said Workman was a talented writer who loved books and liked to go his own way.

“Dustin was kind of a rebel,” Jeff Grinvalds said. “He was kind of a James Dean character.”

Workman is the 51st service member with Nebraska connections to have died in Afghanistan or Iraq since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.