Army Staff Sgt. Dale A. Panchot

Died November 17, 2003 Serving During Operation Iraqi Freedom

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26, of Northome, Minn.; assigned to B Company, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division (Mech), Fort Carson, Colo.; killed Nov. 17 by enemy fire while on patrol south of Balad, Iraq.

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Some people are lucky enough to know what they want to do with their lives at a very early age. Staff Sgt. Dale Panchot was one of those people. "He wanted to be a soldier from the time he could pull on a pair of camouflage pants, from the time he was 3 years old," recalled his mother, Karen Panchot. "He wore those every day and his friends would always be out in the fields, playing Army." Panchot, 26, was killed Nov. 17 in an ambush on his patrol near Balad, Iraq. He was based at Fort Carson, Colo., and is survived by his mother and his father, Arland Panchot. He grew up in Northome, Minn., playing baseball, football and basketball in high school. He joined the Army Reserves at 17, following his father and grandfather into the military. Days before he died, Panchot told his parents he had signed up for his last three-year tour. Having fulfilled his dreams of military service, he had new ones. "He wanted to be a history teacher and raise a family," his mother said.

— Associated Press