Daniel L. Sesker

Saturday, April 08 2006 @ 05:49 AM EDT

www.desmoinesregister.com -- An inseparable group of three Ogden soldiers who grew up, enlisted and served together in Kosovo and Iraq lost one of its members Thursday in a bomb attack.

Iowa Army National Guard Sgt. Daniel L. Sesker, 22, of the Le Mars-based Troop C, 1st Squadron, 113th Cavalry was the 36th Iowan to die in combat in Afghanistan or Iraq. Sesker, a gunner, was killed about 30 miles northwest of Tikrit, Iraq, when a roadside bomb exploded near his truck.

"They were like three peas in a pod — they never did much without each other," said Brian Reimers, the Ogden High School wrestling coach. "Those three boys were so gung-ho. They felt strongly about doing their part to make sure we continue to enjoy the freedoms we have here."

Sesker was a 2001 graduate of Ogden High School.

Reimers coached Sesker and his two best friends, Sgt. David Bollenbaugh and Spc. Shane Sinn, who are still serving in Iraq. The three were deployed to Iraq in November and were expected to return from active duty late this year or in early 2007.

"This was something Dan wanted to do. He was adamant about going back to Iraq after being in Kosovo," Reimers said. "He was a great kid. The most important thing here is that he was a great American citizen - he gave his life for this country."

Reimers saw Sesker less than two months ago when the soldier returned to Iowa on leave, shortly after Reimers' wife died of cancer.

"It seems like we've had our fair share of bad things happen this last winter," Reimers said. "These kids were all there for me, and that's the kind of community we have here."

Sesker joined the National Guard in 2000. He served as part of a security force that protected high-profile people in Iraq, such as ambassadors and diplomats, said Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, public affairs officer for the Iowa National Guard. He said Sesker's position as gunner put him in the "most exposed place you can be."

"The IED can be an enormous explosion," Hapgood said. An IED is an improvised explosive device often used in Iraq against U.S. troops

Ogden High School Principal Jerry Wilson said the tone at school Friday was somber.

"It kind of brought home the reality of war," he said. "I didn't have a chance to be his principal, but he seemed like a real great-quality person."

Wilson met Sesker about a year ago after Sesker, Bollenbaugh and Sinn organized to have leftover school supplies shipped to Kosovo for needy schoolchildren there. Sesker gave the school a framed picture of the children to commemorate the effort, which now hangs in the school's trophy case.

"That speaks to the quality of the young man he was," Wilson said.

Sesker was expecting a child with his fiancee, Angie Garey. Hapgood said Sesker had been researching parenthood extensively.

"He was very interested in how to be a good father," he said. "It was a point of pride for him."

Funeral services for Sesker haven't been scheduled. His mother, Mysty Stumbo of Ogden, and his father, Dennis Sesker of Boone, could not be reached for comment.

"I'll remember his spirit and love for life," Reimers said. "He was fun-loving and energetic, and will be missed."

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