Army Spc. Patrick W. Herried

Died February 6, 2006 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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29, of Sioux Falls, S.D.; assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Fort Wainwright, Alaska; killed Feb. 6 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Stryker military vehicle during patrol operations in Rawah, Iraq.

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South Dakota soldier killed in Iraq

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — A South Dakota soldier based at Fort Wainwright, Alaska, has died in an explosion in Iraq this week, Army officials said Wednesday.

Pfc. Patrick W. Herried, 29, of Sioux Falls, was killed Monday when an improvised explosive device blew up near his Stryker vehicle north of Jasiyah, Iraq, said Maj. Kirk Gohlke. Another Fort Wainwright soldier in the vehicle was seriously injured in the blast, but officials are not releasing his name.

The soldiers were returning from a patrol in Jasiyah when the explosion occurred.

The two were assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team based at Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks.

Two other South Dakota soldiers also died this week.

Sgt. Jeremiah Boehmer, 22, of Parkston, was killed Sunday in Iraq when an explosive device detonated near his Stryker in Al Husayniyah, Iraq.

Spc. Allen Kokesh Jr., 21, of Yankton, died Tuesday after being injured in Iraq in December.

Herried was a fire support specialist. He joined the Army in August 2003 and was assigned to Fort Wainwright the following December.

Rita Herried of Sioux Falls said she found out about her son’s death at about 9:30 p.m. Monday when a soldier and military chaplain came to her door.

“You know when your kid goes in, it’s always in the back of your head that this could happen,” she said.

“He was just a good kid,” Rita Herried said. “Really quiet, but very directed since he’s been in the service. He was a good son.”

Herried’s father, Bill Herried of rural Bemidji, Minn., said his son enjoyed skateboarding and Metallica when he was younger. As he grew, he became interested in weight training and bicycling.

“He was a joy and he was an introvert,” Bill Herried said of his son. “He gets that from me.”

Patrick Herried grew up in Sioux Falls with his mother, and spent summers with his father and stepmother, Bill Herried said. Patrick Herried graduated from Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School in 1994.

Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said the deaths of the South Dakota soldiers have been difficult for the state.

“It’s very, very hard when it becomes very personal,” Thune said Thursday in a news conference with South Dakota reporters. “The war is sometimes an abstract thing for many of us. It’s a very difficult thing. It’s a reality of war, and we have to continue to express our appreciation to these men and women.”

— Associated Press

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Friends, family say goodbye to Sioux Falls soldier

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Friends, family and community members gathered in Sioux Falls Saturday to say goodbye to a 29-year-old soldier killed earlier this month in Iraq.

Army Spc. Patrick W. Herried, 29, of Sioux Falls, was killed Feb. 6 when an improvised explosive device blew up near his armored vehicle.

Army Chaplain Joe Holtzhauser said Herried “lived out the Army values — loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, personal courage.”

Holtzhauser noted that Herried’s funeral was the third in South Dakota during the past week. Sgt. Allen Kokesh Jr. was buried in Yankton Monday, and Sgt. Jeremiah Boehmer was laid to rest Thursday in Parkston.

Rep. Stephanie Herseth acknowledged “a heavy burden of grief today,” but added, “we all know we are celebrating the life of an extraordinary young man.”

Sen. John Thune called the Roosevelt High School graduated “a boy from the neighborhood” and expressed appreciation for Herried’s service to his country.

“Today we thank you,” he told Herried’s parents. “We pledge to support you with our words, our prayers, our actions.”

Gov. Mike Rounds said Herried died fighting for what he believed in.

“While there is no such thing as a good war, there is just cause,” Rounds said. “I truly believe Patrick understood that.”

Maj. Gen. Robert Pollmann presented Rita and William Herried with their son’s dog tags and several military decorations: a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Good Conduct Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and a Combat Action Badge.

His father lifted the case holding one of the awards to his face and kissed it.

Holtzhauser said Herried was a Christian who shared the message of joy and hope.

“Patrick wanted to touch the lives of others,” Holtzhauser said. “May he inspire us to go forward, two by two, and touch other lives.”

— Associated Press