by Duke Doering
December 4, 2005 was a tragic day for the South Dakota National Guard. Two members of Battery C, 147th Field Artillery, Yankton, SD were killed in action in Iraq.
Sgt. First Class Richard L. Schild from Tabor, SD and Staff Sgt. Daniel M. Cuka from Yankton were killed in an explosion of an improvised explosive device (IED) during convoy operations in Baghdad.
Maj. Gen. Phil Killey, former Adjutant General and Director of the Air National Guard, praised these Soldiers when he stated “I did not know them, however I celebrate them knowing they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, the state of South Dakota, the South Dakota National Guard and their families. What special soldiers”.
Lt. Col. Lynn Wilson, South Dakota National Guard Chaplain stated, “On December 4, 2005, South Dakota lost two heroes, and heaven gained two heroes. SFC Schild and SSG Cuka’s legacy lives on in the lives of their children today, and will never be forgotten by the State of South Dakota, and by the Nation which owes them a debt we can never repay. All who have fought the Wars against Terrorism have given some, but Rich and Dan gave all! MAY GOD BLESS THEIR MEMORIES!”
Sgt. Schild, 40, was a graduate of Mount Marty College and loved Christmas so much that some of his friends had to tell him to cool it. “He was always looking for new ways to decorate” said Merlin Goehring, a co-worker. “He always wanted the Christmas tree up before Thanksgiving, and I would tell him, you can’t light it up until Friday.”
Sgt. Cuka, 27, graduated from high school in 1996. “He had a great personality, and he brought out the best in almost anybody he was around,” said co-worker Sean Cordell.
