NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A Nebraska Army National Guard soldier was killed in northern Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded near her convoy in Samarra, military officials said Monday.

Sgt. 1st Class Linda Tarango-Griess, 33, of Sutton was killed Sunday, Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke said. Also killed in the attack was Sgt. Jeremy Fischer, 26, of Lincoln.

“Our prayers go out to their families,” Lempke said.

Tarango-Griess and Fischer were members of the 267th Ordnance Company, based in Lincoln, with detachments in Gering and Hastings. The company was sent to Iraq in February from Fort Riley, Kan.

Tarango-Griess’ parents, Augustin and Juanita Tarango of North Platte, said they last talked to their daughter at 1 a.m. Sunday. About 18 hours later, Army Reserve officials arrived at their home to deliver the news of Tarango-Griess’ death.

Tarango-Griess’ sister, Vicky Tarango-Smith, said her sister was looking forward to coming home on leave in two weeks.

Military officials in Iraq said a roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. patrol passed in Samarra, a hotbed of violence 60 miles north of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding three others.

Tarango-Griess and Fischer bring to 17 the number of U.S. service members with connections to Nebraska to have died since the beginning of military operations following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In addition to her parents, Tarango-Griess is survived by her husband, Nebraska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Douglas L. Griess.

“Hearing that she’s gone is kind of hard to believe right now,” he said.

Griess also spoke with his wife hours before her death.

“I e-mailed her and told her to contact me. She called me right after midnight,” he said. “We talked about her getting some leave time.”

Griess had recently received a pass to go home from his military training. He said he wanted to spend time with his wife, who had been serving in Iraq since February.

“Being that we were both in the military, we’ve been separated for a period of time,” he said. “You learn how to deal with it. After it had been four or five months, it starts to take a toll.”

The couple met in 1991 while both serving in a National Guard Unit in York. They had been married 10 years and had no children.

“She really loved her military career,” he said.

CLOVIS, N.M. — A Nebraska National Guard sergeant who was killed July 11 in Iraq has aunts, uncles and 16 cousins in New Mexico who think of her as a hero and mourn her loss.

Sgt. 1st Class Linda Ann Tarango-Griess, 33, of Sutton, Neb., was the victim of a roadside bomb that exploded near her convoy outside Samarra, the Pentagon said last week in identifying her.

One of her cousins, Linda Hernandez of Clovis, says she has three of her cousin’s e-mails to which she will never be able to reply. Hernandez saw the messages the day she found out her cousin was among nearly 900 U.S. deaths in the Iraq conflict.

Sgt. Jeremy Fischer, 26, of Lincoln, Neb., also died in the July 11 explosion.

Hernandez said she kept in touch with Tarango-Griess by e-mail even though the cousins hadn’t gotten together for nearly five years. Tarango-Griess has two aunts, two uncles and 16 cousins in the Clovis-Portales area.

“Linda’s a hero. She’s the bravest person I know. I admire her and I’ve admired her since we were young. She was successful at everything she did,” Hernandez said.

Even though Hernandez has printed out her cousin’s last e-mails, they remain in her computer.

“I don’t want to delete them,” she said.

The last e-mail Tarango-Griess sent to her cousin on July 6 included a picture of her platoon all sporting running shoes and army T-shirts following a five-mile run called “Desert Dash.”

“None of us won the race, but in our hearts, we are winners, our reward is the self-satisfaction for just finishing the race,” Tarango-Griess wrote.

Hernandez is also the mother of a Marine who served in Iraq for four months early in the war.

“When my son was there, I cried for a week straight, but I never thought anything would happen to Linda. She was just so strong,” Hernandez said.

Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced for Tarango-Griess, Guard officials said. Tarango-Griess’ family has said a funeral would be held in Hastings, Neb.

Hernandez and her Clovis relatives said they plan to attend the Nebraska funeral.

Tarango-Griess’ husband, Doug Griess, also serves with the Nebraska Army National Guard and is scheduled to go to Iraq within a month or two.

He was given the option to stay home due to his wife’s death, but he decided to go and fight.

Tarango-Griess’ hometown of Sutton has about 1,500 residents.

But there are still more mourners 750 miles away in Clovis.

“Sometimes I’m OK,” Hernandez said, “and sometimes my stomach turns and I get nervous and want to cry out loud.”

—       Associated Press

HASTINGS, Neb. — More than 1,000 mourners gathered Saturday to remember a 33-year-old soldier with strong ties to New Mexico who was lauded for her leadership, attitude and dedication.

Master Sgt. Linda Tarango-Griess, of Sutton, was one of two Nebraska soldiers from the Nebraska Army National Guard’s Lincoln-based 267th Ordnance Company who was killed July 11 when a roadside bomb exploded near their convoy outside Samarra, Iraq. Sgt. Jeremy Fischer, of Lincoln, was buried Wednesday.

Tarango-Griess’ funeral was a mix of ceremony and personal recollection for those who knew, loved and respected a wife, soldier and friend.

“Her sacrifice reflects Army values and reflects a singular credit upon herself, her unit, the Nebraska National Guard and the U.S. Army,” said Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke of the Nebraska Army National Guard.

Tarango-Griess was posthumously promoted to master sergeant from sergeant 1st class and given the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star for her service.

Tarango-Griess’ sister Vicki Tarango-Smith rose at the funeral to read a poem, titled “Listen for Linda When Freedom Rings.” She recalled how close her family had come to all being together, Linda included.

“In two weeks, she’d be home, that was true,” Tarango-Smith read. “Now we’re united, but not like we wanted to.”

Tarango-Smith had said just after her sister’s death that Linda was looking forward to coming home on leave in two weeks and had asked that the family all get together for a big Mexican dinner.

Tarango-Griess is also survived by her husband, Nebraska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Douglas L. Griess of Sutton.

The Rev. Mike Guevera gave the homily at Saturday’s Mass, telling mourners that the sting of grief should be softened by a faith in God.

“It is faith that cushions us, but does not remove the pain,” he said. “Yet it all seems to hit us from the blind side. Death challenges us like nothing else. God is never caught by surprise. He provided every murmur and movement of Linda’s life, and that, dear people, is our consolation.”

The Hastings Fire and Police Departments, as well as EMT workers from across the area, helped hoist a large flag on top of a fire truck before the funeral and blocked off streets to accommodate the more than 1,000 mourners.

Tarango-Griess was the only woman among the 17 service members with Nebraska ties killed since the beginning of military operations following the Sept. 11 terrorist attack.

She and Fischer were the Nebraska National Guard’s first combat casualties since World War II, the Guard said.

The National Guard sergeant has two aunts, two uncles and 16 cousins in the Clovis-Portales area of eastern New Mexico, where her relatives also say they think of her as a hero.

One of her cousins, Linda Hernandez of Clovis, said she has three of her cousin’s e-mails to which she will never be able to reply. Hernandez saw the messages the day she found out her cousin was among nearly 900 U.S. deaths in the Iraq conflict.

The e-mails remain in her computer.

“I don’t want to delete them,” she said.

The last e-mail Tarango-Griess sent to her cousin on July 6 included a picture of her platoon all sporting running shoes and army T-shirts following a five-mile run called “Desert Dash.”

“None of us won the race, but in our hearts, we are winners, our reward is the self-satisfaction for just finishing the race,” Tarango-Griess wrote.

—       Associated Press