 AZCentral.com -- A 22-year-old soldier from Peoria died this week in Iraq when his Humvee was involved in an accident in Yusufiyah, south of Baghdad, the Department of Defense reported.
 Sgt. Kenneth J. Schall was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 70th Armor Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, based at Fort Riley, Kan.
He died Sunday. Details about the vehicle accident were unavailable Tuesday.
Schall, who went by Kenny, graduated from Centennial High School in Peoria, where he was an All-Conference golfer, his mother, Terri Schall, said. He had a great sense of humor and also played baseball and basketball. He had recently taken up snowboarding and loved fishing.
"It was very tough not to be touched by him in some way," she said.
He enrolled at Glendale Community College and was on a path to become a history teacher when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks happened.
The event spurred him to join the Army.
Schall served in Iraq for 4 1/2 months last year and returned home for about eight months. He went back in February and his tour would have ended in July, his mother said.
Many of his pictures from Iraq showed Schall playing soccer with Iraqi children or handing out candy.
"He enjoyed it, as much as you can," his mother said.
Terri last spoke to her son on Mother's Day.
"He sounded great - tired - but he said he was doing OK," she said. After spending time in Iraq, Schall hoped to join the Phoenix Fire Department or a bomb squad.
He is also survived by his father, John, and two younger siblings. |
I would like to say thank you for your service and sacrifice for our Country. And to your family, I would like to extend my deepest sympathy.
"Strike Swiftly"(70th Armor Motto)