Stryker soldier dies

[SR-25]

By MARGARET FRIEDENAUER, Staff Writer

A soldier with the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright Army Post died Saturday while deployed in Iraq.
Staff Sgt. Stephen J. Sutherland, 33, died when his Stryker vehicle accidentally rolled over, according to a U.S Army Alaska news release.

Sutherland was with B Troop, 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment. The unit was conducting convoy operations in Al Qadisiyah, near Rawah, Iraq. The incident occurred at 7:10 p.m. AST.

The circumstances surrounding the vehicle rollover have not yet been determined and are under investigation, but the incident has been classified nonhostile, according to the press release. Two other soldiers who were injured in the incident have returned to duty.

Sutherland, from West Deptford, N.J., was a cavalry scout who joined the Army in January 1998 and had been stationed at Fort Wainwright since November 2002.

Sutherland's sister, Tracy Gilman of New Jersey, said by phone Monday afternoon that her brother was well liked and a dependable brother, friend and leader.

"He was a great guy," she said. "He was loved by anyone that met him. He was always there when you needed him. He always stepped up to the plate."

Gilman said Sutherland graduated from Clearview Regional High School in Gloucester County in 1992. He lived with his sister while holding down a few odd jobs after high school.

"He didn't have much direction until he decided he wanted to join the Army," Gilman said.

She said once he joined, he loved his chosen career and was a born leader.

She said he met his wife, Maria, around the same time and they were married while he was stationed in Colorado. The couple and their two sons arrived in Fairbanks in 2002, where they own a home.

Gilman said the couple renewed their wedding vows at Fort Wainwright in April and several friends and family members flew to Fairbanks to join the celebration.

Gilman said she had been able to talk to her brother a few times over the phone since he arrived in Iraq with the brigade in April. She received a letter from him just last week. He was excited about his two-weeks leave plans to come home to Fairbanks over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Plans for a funeral and memorial service are still pending.

Sutherland is the third soldier from the brigade to die since the more than 3,800 soldiers arrived in Iraq in August. Spc. Lucas Frantz, 22, died Oct. 18 of injuries suffered during a sniper attack in Mosul. Spc. Daniel D. Bartels, 22, died in Mosul on Oct. 19 of a noncombat-related injury. Bartels was also a cavalry scout assigned to the 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment.

"Staff Sgt. Sutherland was a true noncommissioned officer," stated 1st Lt. Duane Waits, former executive officer of Sutherland's cavalry troop, in the press release. "He maintained the standards and lived by the Army values. He was truly a jack-of-all-trades. If you needed something accomplished, he would find a way to get it done."

Staff writer Margaret Friedenauer can be reached at 459-7545 or

http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,...130693,00.html

[SSGMike.Ivy]

RIP Soldier

[Grimmy]

Rest in Peace, Soldier.

[USMC Chuter]

Rip

[Brad]

Rip

[AngelBear]

RIP Soldier...