Kingsley soldier 'wasn't scared of anything', father said
UPDATED
By Earl HorlykCopyright 2008 Sioux City Journal | Posted: Monday, February 18, 2008
A U.S. Army soldier from Kingsley has been killed in combat in Iraq, his family said today.
Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, died Sunday morning in the Diyali Province, northeast of Baghdad, leaving behind a wife and 4-month-old daughter, the family said.
Darcy Groepper, Chad's mother, confirmed his death was the result of wounds suffered from a small arms fire.
"He wasn't scared of anything," Dave Groepper, the soldier's father, told The Associated Press. "That's why he was infantry."
The father called Chad Groepper an "action figure" who always wanted to be in the front line. He had been serving in Iraq for nearly one year with an Army infantry unit from Fort Lewis, Wash., and was scheduled to return to the United States as early as May.
"Chad always wanted to the be in the military," Darcy said. "He enlisted 12 days after he graduated." Groepper enlisted in the Army after graduating in 2004 from Kingsley-Pierson High School.
Dave Groepper said the military told him Sunday his son was fatally shot in the head during combat. The Department of Defense had not announced Chad Groepper's death by late Monday afternoon.
Kingsley Mayor Wayne Plendl said his community of 1,200 people is in shock about Groepper's death.
Plendl had known Groepper for his work on a local farm operation and many people had known him while he worked at a plumbing shop, the mayor said.
"We are pretty close and everybody knew this young man well," Plendl said. "It's such a tragic thing."
Groepper is the 65th person with Iowa ties to die in Iraq or Afghanisatan since March 2003. He is the 17th Siouxland soldier killed in that time.
Read the complete story in Tuesday's Sioux City Journal.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Spc. Chad Groepper, 21, died Sunday morning in the Diyali Province, northeast of Baghdad, leaving behind a wife and 4-month-old daughter, the family said.
Darcy Groepper, Chad's mother, confirmed his death was the result of wounds suffered from a small arms fire.
"He wasn't scared of anything," Dave Groepper, the soldier's father, told The Associated Press. "That's why he was infantry."
The father called Chad Groepper an "action figure" who always wanted to be in the front line. He had been serving in Iraq for nearly one year with an Army infantry unit from Fort Lewis, Wash., and was scheduled to return to the United States as early as May.
"Chad always wanted to the be in the military," Darcy said. "He enlisted 12 days after he graduated." Groepper enlisted in the Army after graduating in 2004 from Kingsley-Pierson High School.
Dave Groepper said the military told him Sunday his son was fatally shot in the head during combat. The Department of Defense had not announced Chad Groepper's death by late Monday afternoon.
Kingsley Mayor Wayne Plendl said his community of 1,200 people is in shock about Groepper's death.
Plendl had known Groepper for his work on a local farm operation and many people had known him while he worked at a plumbing shop, the mayor said.
"We are pretty close and everybody knew this young man well," Plendl said. "It's such a tragic thing."
Groepper is the 65th person with Iowa ties to die in Iraq or Afghanisatan since March 2003. He is the 17th Siouxland soldier killed in that time.
Read the complete story in Tuesday's Sioux City Journal.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 6 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
caree wrote on Feb 19, 2008 7:55 AM:
God Bless You wrote on Feb 18, 2008 9:48 PM:
Mel wrote on Feb 18, 2008 8:39 PM:
Okoboji wrote on Feb 18, 2008 8:01 PM:
Iowa thanks you... wrote on Feb 18, 2008 7:43 PM: