Both soldiers belonged to the same company, but were conducting separate combat operations at the time of the roadside bombings, said Cathy Gramling, a public affairs officer at Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Post-Tribune -- MICHIGAN CITY — Brian L. Schoff was looking forward to his son returning to Michigan City to work with him this summer.
A roadside bomb ended that reunion.
His son, Pfc. Brian J. Schoff, became the latest casualty in the war in Iraq last weekend. The 22-year-old was killed Saturday along with another U.S. soldier, Sgt. David Herrera of Oceanside, Calif.
Both soldiers belonged to the same company, but were conducting separate combat operations at the time of the roadside bombings, said Cathy Gramling, a public affairs officer at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
Brian J. Schoff was born in Michigan City, but moved with his mother to Tennessee when he was still young after his parents divorced. His father remained in Michigan City, but they maintained a close relationship.
Schoff said his son was going to return in May to work with him at Sullair Corp.
“He always wanted to come up and be with his dad,” Schoff said outside his Village Road home as a cold mix of snow and rain began to fall Monday afternoon.
Schoff said he talked to his son early Friday morning just before he went on his fatal mission.
“He told me he was going to call again when he got back, but he never called,” he said.
His son was with the 101st Airborne Division. He was manning a .50-caliber machine gun on a Humvee when the bomb went off, Schoff said.
A representative from the Army visited Schoff’s Michigan City home Saturday, where he lives with his second wife, Debra, and told them news of his son’s death.
“It’s hard,” he said.
Schoff described his son as an adventurous, active person who enjoyed hunting, fishing and sports.
Along with his father, Schoff is survived by his mother, Cathy Odle of Manchester, Tenn. He was not married and had no children.
Schoff and Herrera were standing near their military Humvees when the roadside bombs detonated, according to the U.S. Department of Defense. Herrera and Schoff were both assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat team.
Memorial services for both men are scheduled to be held in Iraq. Schoff said the military told him his son’s remains will be sent home in about five days. His funeral is expected to be held in Tennessee.
Including the deaths of Herrera and Schoff, 114 soldiers from Fort Campbell have been killed in the Iraq war.