No. 1314-06 IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 26, 2006
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DoD Identifies Army Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of five soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Spc. Joshua D. Sheppard, 22, of Quinton, Okla., died Dec. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when his patrol came in contact with the enemy using small arms fire. Sheppard was assigned to the 642nd Engineer Support Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. For more information about this soldier the media can contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at (315) 772-5461.

Sgt. Curtis L. Norris, 28, of Dansville, Mich., died Dec. 23 in Baghdad, Iraq, of wounds suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Norris was assigned to the 210th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y. For more information about this soldier the media can contact the Fort Drum public affairs office at (315) 772-5461.

Spc. John Barta, 25, of Corpus Christi, Texas, died Dec. 23 in Buhritz, Iraq, of wounds suffered from indirect enemy fire during combat operations. Barta was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas. For more information about this soldier the media can contact the Fort Hood public affairs office at (254) 287-9993.

Pvt. Evan A. Bixler, 21, of Racine, Wis., died Dec. 24 in Hit, Iraq, of wounds suffered from enemy indirect fire during security operations. Bixler was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 6th Infantry, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Baumholder, Germany. For more information about this soldier the media can contact the 1st Armored Division public affairs office at 011-49-611-705-4859.

Pfc. Eric R. Wilkus, 20, of Hamilton, N.J., died Dec. 25 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Landstuhl, Germany, of a non-combat related injury Dec. 22 in Baghdad, Iraq. Wilkus was assigned to the 57th Military Police Company, 8th Military Police Brigade, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The incident is under investigation. For more information about this soldier the media can contact the 25th Infantry Division public affairs office at (808) 655-4815 or (808) 655-8729.