The Fayetteville Observer February 03, 2008
82nd soldier killed south of Baghdad
By Kevin Maurer
Sabrina Schultz spent the morning before her husband’s death Thursday instant messaging with him about his latest video message.
The video showed their 7-month old son, Logan, crawling. It was the first time 1st Lt. David Schultz had seen his son in action.
“He was so excited that he got to see it,” Sabrina Schultz said Saturday.
They spent the rest of the time talking about their plans for a bigger family and what they were going to do when he returned from Iraq.
But those plans were dashed later that day.
Schultz, 25, of Blue Island, Ill., was hit Thursday by indirect fire, which refers to a mortar or rocket attack, at Convoy Support Center Scania. The base, according to GlobalSecurity.org, is a truck stop 60 miles south of the Iraqi capital.
Schultz also is survived by his parents, David and Marjorie Schultz, of Blue Island, Ill.
Schultz was a platoon leader with 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment. Lt. Col. Michael Iacobucci, commander of the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, said Schultz was a vital part of the unit.
“His standards of leadership, resolve and professionalism were benchmarks by which others measured themselves,” Iacobucci said in a statement.
Schultz was popular with both officers and enlisted soldiers. The unit’s executive officer compared Schultz’s death to losing a son.
“I watched him grow as a leader amongst his men, his peers and his superiors,” said Maj. Jeff Howard, squadron executive officer. “His confidence is what made him a respected, trusted professional that many looked to for strength.”
Soldiers in the unit wanted to work for and with him, his unit mates said in written statements.
“He did not mind rolling up his sleeves and getting dirty to accomplish the mission, not just for the mission’s sake, but for the success of the soldiers he led,” said Capt. Nathan Paliska, Schultz’s troop commander.
Sabrina Schultz said Saturday that her husband believed it was important to serve his country. Schultz was in the ROTC program at Northern Illinois University and graduated in 2005. He joined the Army after graduation and arrived at the 82nd in April 2006.
Schultz had just returned to Iraq after spending the holidays on leave with his family, Sabrina Schultz said.
“It was a blessing he was able to meet Logan,” Sabrina Schultz said.
At least 39 U.S. troops, including Schultz, have been killed in January, and 3,943 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.
On Saturday, Schultz’s MySpace page was filling up with condolences. Most of the messages called him a hero and said he would be missed.
Sabrina Schultz left a simple message on her own page.
“Sabrina doesn’t know how she will make it without Dave, my hero, my friend, my rock,” her page said. “I have a Dave-shaped hole in my heart!”
© Copyright 2008, The Fayetteville Observer
