Cedar Rapids soldier killed in Afghanistan

A Cedar Rapids soldier who died in Afghanistan on Saturday was weeks away from returning home to Iowa.

Sgt. 1st Class Terryl L. Pasker, 39, was going through a routine security checkpoint in an armored vehicle when an Afghan National Directorate security officer inexplicably attacked with small-arms fire, according to Col. Greg Hapgood of the Iowa National Guard. Pasker and an unidentified American civilian law enforcement contractor who was with him in the vehicle were killed.

Master Sgt. Todd Eipperle of Marshalltown was driving an armored vehicle in front of Pasker's vehicle when the attack occurred. He stopped as soon as the shots were fired and exchanged gunfire with the Afghan security officer, killing him. Eipperle, who was wounded in the attack, was undergoing medical treatment but his condition was not known, Hapgood said.

The attack, which happened around 9:30 a.m. local Afghanistan time in the Panjshir province near a reconstruction site, remained under investigation, he said.

Pasker - the fourth Iowa Army National Guard soldier killed in Afghanistan this year - was among nearly 3,000 Iowa soldiers who have been supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. The Iowa units are slated to begin redeployment in the coming weeks with all the soldiers slated to return home by the end of July or the first week of August, Hapgood said.

“It's impossible to imagine the heartbreak that the Pasker family must feel right now,” Hapgood said at a news conference where details of the Iowa soldier's death were announced. “From all the information we have, Sgt. Pasker was very well liked, very well respected - not only a good soldier, but a good guy. Our hearts go out to the Pasker family at this extremely difficult time.”

Hapgood said Pasker's death “puts a damper” on what was slated to be a homecoming celebration for the Iowa-based troops.

“It's certainly not the way we would want to end up a tour,” he said, and pointed up the importance of U.S. soldiers being vigilant at all times in a combat area. The Panjshir region has been relatively peaceful, he said, and Pasker was conducting “very routine business” when the Afghan officer went to the driver's side of his vehicle and opened fire.

Sgt. Michael Gronewald of the Iowa National Guard said he was friends with Pasker and occasionally communicated with him via email. He said Pasker was in charge of an electrical section and planned to return to the construction trade and start a family when he retired from the military next year after more than 20 years of service.

“It's pretty tough on us,” Gronewald told reporters during last night's media briefing. “It's just a shock. You never get used to it. I never have and never will.”

Pasker - who was assigned to the guard's Company B Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division - was born in February 1972 in Anamosa and graduated from Lisbon High School in 1990. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in July 1990 and joined the Iowa National Guard in April 1995. Pasker was serving as an electronic maintenance supervisor during this deployment.

Pasker is survived by his wife, Erica, of Cedar Rapids; his parents, David and Mary Pasker of Blairstown; a brother, Andrew Pasker of Lisbon; and two sisters, Christine Ross of Oakland, Tenn., and Rebecca Southard of Salem, Ore.

Funeral arrangements are pending.

U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, issued a statement last night saying: “My heart goes out to Terryl's family and friends. This is a tragedy and a difficult time for all Iowans and the entire National Guard family.

“Terryl, and all the brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their nation, are in my thoughts and prayers at this time.”