Army Sgt. Earl D. Werner
Death: Aug 28, 2009
of Mondovi Wis.; assigned to the 41st Special Troops Battalion 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team Oregon Army National Guard Portland Ore.; Died Aug. 28 in Baghdad of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an explosively formed penetrator. Also killed was Army Spc. Taylor D. Marks. 2 Oregon guardsmen killed in Iraq The Associated Press PORTLAND Ore. — The Oregon National Guard has identified two soldiers killed when a convoy they were guarding was attacked in Iraq. Pfc. Taylor D. Marks19 and a decorated veteran Sgt. Earl D. Werner38 Died Aug. 28 when the convoy was struck by an explosively formed penetrator or EFP an armor-piercing explosive that turns into a projectile when detonated. Werner was on his third deployment with the Oregon National Guard. He had been awarded the Bronze Star two Army Commendation Medals and the Combat Action Badge. He is survived by his wife Casey and son Charles of Amboy Wash. Marks of Monmouth was a graduate of Central High School. He is survived by his parents and stepfather and his sister and brother. Both were serving with the 41st Special Troops Battalion 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Guardsman served three tours in Iraq The Associated Press Earl D. Werner was an animal lover who raised horses and enjoyed fishing. “He actually went fishing in Baghdad” said his father-in-law Duane Royer. “It wasn’t any fish he’d want to keep but he did it.” The Idaho native was a truck driver who became a decorated soldier after joining the Oregon Army National Guard. He was awarded the Bronze Star for his service in Iraq and later returned there for his third deployment. Werner38 was killed Aug. 28 in Rashid Iraq when insurgents attacked his vehicle with a penetrating explosive. His hometown was listed as Mondovi Wis. and he was based in Portland Ore. “He had such a great caring for the other people he worked with in the National Guard” his father-in-law said. “He felt very responsible for them. That was a driving force of him wanting to do it again. He wanted to take care of people.” That sense of caring also extended outside of work. When a landslide blocked a road near his home Werner rounded up equipment to clear the way Royer said. “He was a very talented young man who knew how to do his job” he said. Werner is survived by his wife Casey and his 19-year-old son.Operation Iraqi Freedom