Pfc. MICHAEL J. DEUTSCH 1982-2003

KLEIN, BAUER, BAUMGARTNER, DEUTSCH, GREENWOOD

Posted By: Mary Durr (email)
Date: 9/10/2003 at 09:42:15

Michael J. Deutsch
Sunday, August 3, 2003

Pfc. Michael J. Deutsch, 21, of Troop C, 1-1 Cavalry, Armstrong Barracks, Germany, formerly of Dubuque, was killed Thursday, July 31, 2003, while serving in Iraq.

Arrangements are pending at Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Home, 1640 Main St.

Telegraph Herald - Thursday, Aug. 7, 2003
Pfc. MICHAEL J. DEUTSCH 1982-2003
Michael J. Deutsch

Michael John Deutsch, 21, of 2125 Stafford St., died Thursday, July 31, 2003, while serving in the Army in Iraq.

Services will be at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Regina Caeli Chapel at Mount Calvary Cemetery, where friends may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery, where military rites will be accorded by the United States Army, the American Legion, Dubuque Post 6, The Dubuque Marine Corps League, the Tri-State Vietnam Veterans Association and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 9663. The Hoffmann-Schneider Funeral Home, 1640 Main St., is in charge of arrangements.

He was born on April 30, 1982, in Dubuque, son of Wayne A., Sr. and Ileane (Baumgartner) Deutsch.

Michael graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 2000.

He enlisted in the Army on Sept. 5, 2002, and completed basic training at Fort Benning, Ga. He was stationed in Buedingen, Germany, before he went to Iraq.

Surviving are his parents, Wayne, Sr. and Ileane Deutsch; two brothers, Wayne (Nadine) Deutsch, Jr. and Erich Deutsch, both of Dubuque; a sister, Stephanie Greenwood, of Ankeny, Iowa; and two nieces, Heather and Megan Greenwood, both of Ankeny.

He was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, John and Margaret (Bauer) Deutsch, and his maternal grandparents, John C. and Laverne (Klein) Baumgartner.

A Michael John Deutsch Memorial Fund has been established

Telegraph Herald - Sunday, August 3, 2003
Dubuquer killed in Iraq
Michael Deutsch, who graduated from Senior in 2000, died Thursday in Baghdad

The tragedy of war has struck close to home.

Pfc. Michael J. Deutsch, 21, formerly of Dubuque, was killed Thursday in Baghdad, Iraq.

Deutsch graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 2000 and entered the U.S. Army in 2002. He completed his basic training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga. and was stationed at Armstrong Barracks in Budingen, Germany before being sent to Iraq. He served with Troop C, 1-1 Cavalry, known as the "Blackhawk."

No details on his death were available at press time Saturday night.

Another U.S. soldier was killed Friday and three others injured in a rocket-propelled grenade attack north of Baghdad, the U.S. military has said. The 4th Division infantry soldier was killed when a U.S. convoy came under attack south of Shumayat, a town between Baghdad and Tikrit around 60 miles north of Baghdad, a spokesman said.

Three other Iowa men have died in the Iraq war: Marine Sgt. Bradley S. Korthaus, 28, of Davenport, Army Pvt. Kenneth A. Nalley, 19, of Hamburg, and Jeffrey E. Bohr, Jr., 39, of Ossian.

Since President Bush declared the end of the war on May 1, 52 U.S. soldiers have been killed in guerrilla attacks. At least 56 have died in non-combat incidents. So far, 167 Americans have died in combat in this Iraq war, 20 more than in the 1991 Gulf War.

The 1-1 Cavalry, of which Deutsch was a member, spearheaded the 1st Armored Division's attack into Iraq in 1991, according to the Global Security Web site.

Telegraph Herald - Monday, Aug. 4, 2003
Army releases limited details

Dubuquer died in an attack on the armored personnel carrier he was riding in

On Sunday, the U.S. military reported no fatal attacks on Americans soldiers in Iraq for the second straight day. But that is little solace for the family and friends of Pfc. Michael Deutsch, of Dubuque, who was killed Thursday in Iraq.

Deutsch, 21, the son of Ilene I. and Wayne A. Deutsch, died in Baghdad after the armored personnel carrier he was riding in was hit by an explosive round, said Iowa National Guard spokesman Col. Robert King.

The army released no other information on the incident. King said Deutsch's family requested not to be contacted by the media.

Deutsch is the first Dubuquer killed in wartime since Army Spc. Ronald D. Rennison, like Deutsch a graduate of Dubuque Senior High School, was killed in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Another Dubuque resident, Abraham Ohnesorge, was badly wounded in a grenade attack in Iraq on May 27.

Since the war began, 167 U. S. soldiers have been killed. Fifty-two of those deaths occurred after President Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq.

Deutsch was a 2000 graduate of Senior High School.

Larry Mitchell, principal at Senior, said the school has not planned any memorials as of yet. He said staff will meet today and discuss what it might do.

"Michael was a quiet young man, who was very intelligent," Mitchell said.

Deutsch entered the Army in 2002. He completed basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., and was stationed in Budingen, Germany, before being deployed to Iraq. He served with Troop C of 1/1 Cavalry.

Telegraph Herald - Saturday, Aug. 9, 2003
Deutsch family, friends say goodbye

Pallbearer says Dubuque man who died in Iraq 'gave everything his all'

Those who knew Pfc. Michael J. Deutsch, and even those who did not, paid their respects Friday at Mount Calvary Cemetery.

Deutsch, 21, of Dubuque, was killed July 31 while serving with the U.S. Army in Baghdad, Iraq.

Inside the Regina Caeli Chapel at Mount Calvary Cemetery Friday evening, relatives, friends and strangers comforted Deutsch's family. A video showed old pictures of Deutsch as his casket sat nearby, draped with an American flag.

Members of the local Marine Corps League, American Legion, VFW Post 9663 and Tri-State Vietnam Veterans stood guard at the chapel doors.

Honorary pallbearers TJ Stapleton and John Pecora, both of Dubuque, stood outside comforting a group of Deutsch's friends.

"He was just the best friend anybody could have," Stapleton said.

"He gave everything his all," Pecora added.

Deutsch graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 2000 and entered the U.S. Army in 2002. He was killed when the armored personnel carrier he was riding in was hit by an explosive round, the Iowa National Guard reported.

"It is just a tragedy," said Judi Chandlee, who taught Deutsch when he was in second grade at Eisenhower Elementary School.

"It was my first year of teaching," Chandlee said. "That class was all special to me."

Chandlee, whose husband also taught Deutsch at Senior, said she thought it was important to show his family support.

Friends of Deutsch's parents, Wayne and Ileane Deutsch, also attended the wake. Deutsch has two brothers, a sister and two nieces.

One of his relatives said that ever since Deutsch was a young boy he wanted to serve his country.

Deutsch completed his basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., and was stationed at Armstrong Barracks in Budingen, Germany, before being sent to Iraq. He served with Troop C, 1-1 Cavalry, known as the "Blackhawk."

Although she did not know Deutsch, Evelyn Loney felt a connection with the family, since her grandson is serving in Iraq. Loney, who lives near the chapel, talked with Deutsch's mother.

"She said 'Aren't we blessed to have young men brave enough to go there,'" Loney said.

The fact that Deutsch is the first Dubuquer killed in this war hits home for Don Hildebrand, commandant of the Dubuque Marine Corps League.

"Every individual that goes into the military is a hero to some degree because you don't know what you are getting into," Hildebrand said after he stood guard outside the chapel.

Telegraph Herald - Sunday, Aug. 10, 2003
Soldier Buried In Dubuque
Parents presented with Purple Heat and Bronze Star
Soldiers meticulously folded and creased the American flag that had draped Pfc. Michael Deutsch's casket. They handed it to Deutsch's parents as the 21-year-old soldier was laid to rest Saturday morning at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Deutsch, of Dubuque, was killed July 31 when the armored personnel carrier he was riding in was hit by an explosive round. He was serving with the U.S. Army in Baghdad, Iraq.

Before the funeral service, Deutsch's parents, Wayne and Ileane Deutsch, were presented with the Purple Heart and Bronze Star by Maj. Gen. Terry Tucker, of Fort Knox, Ky. Almost 100 friends and family gathered in the Regina Caeli Chapel at Mount Calvary Cemetery. Flowers and Deutsch's picture surrounded his casket. Deutsch will be remembered as a son, brother, friend and uncle, said the Rev. Raymond Burkle. In addition to his parents, Deutsch is survived by two brothers, a sister and two nieces.

Prayers and memories of the soldier -- who loved watermelon, roller coasters and his friends and family -- filled the 20-minute service.

Deutsch is the first Dubuquer killed in the Iraq War. He graduated from Dubuque Senior High School in 2000 and entered the U.S. Army in 2002. He completed his basic training at Fort Benning in Columbus, Ga., and was stationed at Armstrong Barracks in Budingen, Germany, before being sent to Iraq. He served with Troop C, 1 - 1 Calvary, known as the "Blackhawk."

The soldier was buried with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps. Along with Maj. Gen. Tucker, U.S. Army soldiers from Fort Knox conducted the honors. Master Sgt. Rick Ernst, casualty assistance officer, said it is the Army's policy that soldiers are honored by their own.

"It is a fallen soldier who is part of our family," said Sgt. 1st Class Luis Felix.

Since the war began, three other Iowans have been killed. Another Dubuque resident, Abraham Ohnesorge, was wounded in a grenade attack in Iraq on May 27.

So far, 260 U.S. soldiers have been killed; 122 since May 1 when President Bush declared an end to major combat in Iraq.

Following the burial service, Deutsch's parents shook hands with the soldiers who honored their son. Family and friends consoled each other as they left the cemetery, leaving Deutsch's casket to stand alone among the other headstones.

Donations to the Michael J. Deutsch Memorial Fund can be made at any Dupaco Community Credit Union branch.

Note: a small picture of Michael was published with each article about him. A large picture of Wayne and Ilean Deutsch, Wayne carrying the flag and hand clasped with Ileane's, is pictured on the front page of the Sunday issue of the Telegraph Herald with the following caption: Wayne and Ileane Deutsch, the parents of Pfc. Michael Deutsch, carry the U.S. flag away from their son's casket after the burial ceremony Saturday at Mount Calvary Cemetery in Dubuque. Deutsch was killed July 31, while serving with the Army in Baghdad, Iraq. He was the first Dubuque resident and fourth Iowan to die in fighting in Iraq.

Also there is a picture of the casket, draped in the flag with the "Soldiers from Fort Knox, Ky., carry Deutsch's casket from Regina Caeli Chapel at Mount Calvary Cemetery".

Posters note: I did not know this young man or his family but God bless you Michael and Thank You.