Bomb kills Batesville soldier in Iraq

— Spc. William “Chris” Yauch, 23, of Batesville, died Friday in Iraq in a car bombing, becoming the 85th Arkansan killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Yauch was known for his personality and wit, said his stepmother, Debbie Yauch, of Saint Charles, Mo.

“He was a very lively, outgoing person,” she said. “He loved life, he loved the USA. He very much loved the U.S.Army and was doing what he believed in and wanted to be doing.”

Yauch was a member of Bravo Company, 5th Battalion, 3rd Stryker Brigade of the 2nd Infantry Division based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. He died in Jalula, Iraq, when a suspected vehicleborne improvised explosive device detonated while his squad was investigating it. Sgt. Israel P. Obryan, 24, of Newbern, Tenn., was also killed in the blast.

Yauch graduated from Batesville High School in 2005. He is survived by his wife of two years, Mallory Nicole Rhodes Yauch, mother and stepfather Lucretia and Dennis Robertson of Cave City, and his father and stepmother Kurt and Debbie Yauch.

“His dad is absolutely heartbroken,” Debbie Yauch said Monday of her stepson’s death. “It’s very hard telling the rest of the family, too. We knew there was a risk whenhe went there. But he was just six weeks away from coming home so we felt like we made it through and we were making plans to visit him when he came home.”

As she spoke on the phone, Kurt Yauch could be heard in the background making arrangements for his son’s funeral. Yauch’s body had not yet arrived stateside as of Monday. The funeral will be in Batesville; the date is not set.

Eighty-five soldiers with Arkansas ties have died in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - 72 in Iraq and 13 in Afghanistan. Sixty-eight resulted from enemy fire, 16 deaths occurred as a result of noncombat situations and one was attributed to friendly fire.

“Spc. Yauch had the greatest love for his country, and his country will always remember his selfless service,” U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark., said in a news release. “My prayers and thoughts are with his wife and family during this difficult time.”

U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., also issued a statement Monday, saying, “My heart goes out to the family of Specialist Yauch who made the ultimate sacrifice on behalf of our nation.” A list of Arkansas-related war deaths can be found at www.arkansasonline.com/warcasualties/.

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 06/15/2010

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