2 more Hoosiers die from roadside bombs in Iraq

Two Hoosier soldiers have joined more than 40 Indiana residents who have lost their lives due to U.S. military conflict throughout the Middle East.\nThe U.S. Department of Defense announced the deaths of 20-year-old Pfc. Darren A. DeBlanc of Evansville and 21-year-old Pfc. Robert W. Murray Jr. of Westfield Monday. Both Hoosiers were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom and died from "improvised explosive devices," according to a Department of Defense news release.\nDeBlanc is a 2003 graduate from Reitz High School and Murray is a 2002 graduate from Westfield High School.\nDeBlanc and another soldier died April 29 while on dismounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq. According to a Department of Defense news release, both soldiers were assigned to the 10th Mountain Division from Fort Drum, N.Y.\nDeBlanc's family said the Army awarded their son a Purple Heart for surviving a March 26 bomb attack in Iraq, according to the Associated Press. His family also said DeBlanc was scheduled to leave Iraq in about two weeks.\nIU junior Michael Klinker, a friend of DeBlanc's since their freshman year at Westfield H.S., said he and Deblanc often discussed joining the U.S. Marine Corps while they attended Indiana State University in the fall of 2003. They had wanted to attend boot camp together, but Klinker said Deblanc left the summer before he did.\n"He broke his leg and came home, then later enlisted in the Army," Klinker said in an e-mail. "He was determined to serve our country and fought so we can be safe here in the United States. He is a hero and I'll never forget him."\nIU junior Adam Paunwar, who befriended DeBlanc when he moved to Westfield during their middle school years, said DeBlanc was a "hell of a guy." Paunwar also said the greatest lesson DeBlanc taught him was the "proper way to throw an egg at a car." \n"(DeBlanc) was always laughing and joking around about something, and you couldn't help but be in a good mood when you were around him," Paunwar said in an e-mail. "He is a hero to me and everyone else that knew him."\nMurray and three other soldiers died April 28 while aboard their Stryker military vehicle in Tal Afar, Iraq. According to a Department of Defense news release, Murray was assigned to the 3rd Armor Cavalry Regiment from Fort Carson, Colo.\nMillikin University junior Heidi Clark, the 2002 Westfield H.S. senior class president, said Murray should be remembered for his sense of humor because he could always make other people laugh. She said she remembers Murray as not being "a judgmental person."\n"(Robert) was always willing to be the butt of jokes to cheer someone up," Clark said in an e-mail statement. "He was friends with all types of people -- something to be admired. He was always someone that got along with anyone." \nTeena Pershing, director of community relations for Westfield Washington schools, said Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels gave Westfield H.S. permission to fly their American flag at half-staff Friday and Saturday. She said a scholarship is being established in his name for Westfield H.S. faculty and students. \n"Robert will be missed by all who knew him. He loved life, his family and friends," the Murray family said in a statement. "Robert had an uplifting spirit and incredible smile." \nMemorial contributions can be made in memory of Robert Murray to the Westfield Washington Education Development Foundation, 322 W. Main St., Westfield, Ind. 46074.\n42 Hoosier soldiers are listed as dead and another 228 Indiana residents are listed as wounded in action for the combined Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom military campaigns as of April 16, according to the Department of Defense.\n- Contact Senior Writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.