RELEASED BY Lt Col. Greg Hapgood

PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER
OFFICE:   (515) 252-4582
CELL:       (515) 971-6385
HOME:     (515) 986-5725

JOHNSTON, IOWA…
 

//s// Gregory O. Hapgood, Jr., Lieutenant Colonel

IOWAN SERVING ON ACTIVE DUTY KILLED IN IRAQ

The Department of Defense regrets to announce the death of Cpl. Jonathan “Jon” E. Schiller, 20, an Ottumwa native serving on active duty in the U.S. Army. Schiller was killed during combat operations when insurgent forces detonated an improvised explosive device directly adjacent to the armored Humvee in which he was a passenger. The attack occurred during a combat patrol near Baqubah, Iraq at approximately 3 p.m., Iraq time, on December 31. He was assigned to the 215th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.
 

Schiller was born March 1986 in Iowa and graduated from Ottumwa High School in 2004. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in March 2005. Schiller is survived by his mother and father, Elizabeth “Liz” and William “Bill” Schiller, and brothers, Charlie and Max, all of Ottumwa.
 

The family of Cpl. Jon Schiller issued the following statement:
 

“It is with great sadness that we learned of the New Year’s Eve death of our beloved son, Jonathan E. Schiller, during combat in Iraq. Jon died doing what he loved, serving his country and protecting the freedom of our people and others.
 

“We are proud of our son’s accomplishments and those of his fellow Soldiers in the Army and all branches of the military. We are forever grateful to the Army for changing our boy into a man who fought and died defending something that we take for granted every day…freedom! Jon felt that progress was being made in Iraq. As shocked as we are by his death, we are deeply appreciative of the outpouring of support shown by his friends, fellow Soldiers, and the community.
 

“We are sure that you can understand and will honor our request for family privacy at this time, as we are focused on working with military officials to return Jon’s body home for military services and burial. We thank you for your thoughts, prayers, and kindness at this extremely difficult time. As parents, we are deeply saddened by our son’s loss, but extremely proud of the honorable way he served Americans as a leader in the U.S. Army. We will remember him, his smile, and his love for his country with great pride.”
 

Bill and Liz Schiller
 

The Schiller family asks that their privacy be respected at this time. Media may contact the Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Office for additional information.
 

Funeral arrangements are pending at Reece Funeral Home in Ottumwa and details will be provided as they become available. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Heartland Humane Society, P.O. Box 1149, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501 or Wesley United Methodist Church, 430 E. 2nd Street, Ottumwa, Iowa 52501.
 

For questions concerning this news release as well as additional information about the operations, training, and activities of the Iowa Army and Air National Guard, please contact Lt. Col. Greg Hapgood, Iowa National Guard Public Affairs Officer by e-mail at gregory.hapgood@ia.ngb.army.mil or (515) 252-4582 (office), (515) 971-6385 (cell), (515) 986-5725 (home). You may also contact Master Sgt. Duff E. McFadden, at (515) 252-4666 (office) or (515) 480-7647 (cell), or by e-mail at duff.mcfadden@ia.ngb.army.mil.

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IOWA NATIONAL GUARD
Americans at Their Best