Marshfield News Herald (Marshfield, Wood Co., Wis.)

December 28, 2006; Page: 1A

Contact: Crystal Wendt

Second Loyal-area man killed in Iraq

A U.S. Marine was killed in Iraq on Tuesday, according to family members and school officials, becoming the second Loyal-area man to die in the war.

As of Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Defense hadn't confirmed the death of Josh Schmitz, 21.

But his aunt, Debra May, 53, of Wausau said the family learned of the death Tuesday.

"He was a very gentle soul and loving," May said. "He loved to play the drums. He was in a band."

On his MySpace.com Web site, Schmitz said his heroes were Jesus, his parents and his close friends.

Schmitz, son of Kelly and Mark Schmitz of the town of Fremont, was scheduled to be sent home from Iraq in six weeks and complete his enlistment in September, his aunt said.

Then he intended to go to college and possibly start his own business, Schmitz wrote on his Web site.

Joe Anderson, choir director at Loyal High School, said Schmitz played drums in band and sang in the choir his senior year.

He was also a linebacker on the high school football team and was tough on the field, Anderson said.

"I just always remember he was a very intense young man," he said. "He was a very good player."

The last time he saw Schmitz was in July, when his former student stopped by the school to visit him. They talked for an hour about Iraq. Schmitz already had done one tour there, Anderson said.

"He knew he had a duty to perform. He was making sure he performed what he was asked to do and serve his country," Anderson said. "It's too bad. I feel really bad he's gone. That's one thing about being a teacher. It hurts a lot to see students pass on before you. It's very sad, for sure. ... He was just an A-1 super kid."

May last saw her nephew at his going-away party in July.

"I got to hug him and tell him I loved him," she said.

The Marine has two sisters, Angela and Stephanie, and three brothers, Justin, Brandon and Nicholas. He is the second-oldest child.

"He was just such a good person," said Kristie Schmitz, 21, a cousin. "I think he just wanted to do something for our country."

She said she supports the troops in Iraq, but doesn't agree with sending them there.

"There was really no need for it," she said.

A tearful May said she grieved for all the Marines in her nephew's unit who had been killed.

"The sadness isn't just for Josh," she said, "it's for everyone who died that day."

Schmitz is the second Wisconsin soldier to die in Iraq this week. U.S. Army Pvt. Evan Bixler, 21, of Racine was killed Sunday in Hit, Iraq.

Staff Sgt. Todd D. Olson, 36, of Loyal died Dec. 27, 2004, in a hospital in Tikrit, Iraq, from wounds he received in Samarra on Dec. 26 when an improvised explosive device detonated, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

He was a member of Detachment 1, Company C, of the Wisconsin National Guard's 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry.

— Managing Editor Tom Berger, Reporter Adam Rodewald and The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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