Army Staff Sgt. Lance Koenig
IN MEMORY

Army Staff Sgt. Lance J. Koenig

Gave his life serving his country September 22, 2004

Sgt. Koenig's immigrant grandparents included:

Johannes Koenig and wife Karolina Widmaier, both of Alexanderhilf, Odessa, their son Johannes and wife Eva Katharina Herrmann of Gueldendorf, Odessa, Daniel Koth of Kulm, Bessarabia and wife Regina Baltzer of Plotzk, Bessarabia, and Gottfried Reiser of Kassel, Glueckstal Colonies and wife Susanna Enzi of Freudental, Odessa.

Like many families that came to America in the 1880s they all settled at first in Hutchinson and Bon Homme Counties, SD and then in later years parts of each family moved to McLean County, ND.


Staff Sergeant Lance J. Koenig, age 33, of Fargo, ND, formerly of Carrington, ND, a member of the North Dakota National Guard 141st Engineer Combat Battalion, died Wednesday, September 22, 2004, near the northern Iraq city of Tikrit, as a result of a roadside bomb explosion.

Lance J. Koenig was born December 31, 1970, at Garrison, ND, the son of Robert and Lynnette (Lord) Koenig. As an infant, he moved with his family to Carrington, ND, where he was raised and attended school. Lance was a three-time ND State Wrestling Champion, and was undefeated his senior year. He was an All-State Linebacker in football in 1988-89. In 1989, Lance graduated from Carrington High School. He was the No. 1 NDSU (Fargo, ND) wrestling recruit in 1989, and went on to become a three-time All American Wrestler.

On December 26, 1992, Lance was united in marriage to Angela Ziemkowski at Carrington. They made their home in Fargo, and he was employed by Fabricators Supply.

Lance was a devoted husband and father. He enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. As part of his devotion to his daughter, he coached Alexandra's soccer team until the time of his deployment.
Lance was an avid player, be it playing cards, board games or wrestling with his daughters. He enjoyed attending various sporting events with his family, hunting with his friends, and could always find time for a game of golf.

He is survived by his wife, Angie of Fargo; two daughters, Alexandra (12) and Brooklynn (2), both at home in Fargo; his parents, Robert and Lynnette Koenig of Carrington; three brothers, Leland (Mary) of New Rockford, ND, Rev. Leslie (Julie) of Aberdeen, SD, and Lane of Carrington; one sister, Lori (Darrin) Arneson of Fargo; and his grandparents, Lyle and Bessie Lord of Frazee, MN; and nieces & nephews.

Lance was preceded in death by an infant sister, Lisa, and his grandparents, Ferdinand and Susan Koenig.

Funeral Services: 2:00 PM Thursday, Sept. 30, Trinity Lutheran Church, Carrington.
Memorials can be sent to:
Company B 141 Family Support
1417 - 5th Ave SW
Jamestown, ND 58401
or a charity of your choice.

Additional Stories

KFYR-TV News

The brother of a North Dakota National Guard soldier killed in Iraq says Lance Koenig was a loving husband and father.  Les Koenig, a minister in Aberdeen, South Dakota, says his brother "knew exactly where his priorities were at."   Military officials say he died sometime around midnight yesterday while patrolling a road near the Iraqi city of Tikrit.

North Dakota State University officials say Koenig was a former All-American wrestler. Thirty-three-year-old Lance Koenig finished second in the NCAA Division Two nationals as a sophomore and sixth as a junior. He was a member of the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion's 'B' Company, based in Jamestown. He was a native of Carrington, but lived in Fargo. NDSU wrestling coach Bucky Maughan says everybody liked Koenig, and he was devoted to his wife and two daughters. Maughan says Koenig had been home on leave in July. He says Koenig was in his words just one of those nice, easy going guys."
And he says wrestlers from around the country have been calling him after hearing about his death.

Aberdeen News
Posted on Thu, Sep. 23, 2004
Brother of Aberdonian killed in Iraq

A former All-American wrestler with Aberdeen ties was killed by a roadside bomb while on patrol in Iraq, military officials said.

Staff Sgt. Lance Koenig, 33, of Fargo, N.D., died shortly after midnight Wednesday while on patrol with his North Dakota National Guard outfit near the Iraqi city of Tikrit.

Koenig, a former North Dakota State University athlete, is the younger brother of Les Koenig, associate pastor of Aberdeen's First Baptist Church.

Koenig, 35, said that his brother's wife Angie called him Wednesday morning to inform him about the tragedy.

He did not want to comment on his brother's death, but said the family would be issuing a press release in the near future. Les and Lance grew up in Carrington, N.D., where their parents still live.

Lance Koenig was assigned to the 141st Engineer Combat Battalion's Company B, based in Jamestown. The 15-year Guard veteran had been in Iraq since February.

NDSU wrestling coach Bucky Maughan said former Bison wrestlers called him from around the country Wednesday after hearing the news.

''Lance was one of the more successful North Dakota wrestlers,'' Maughan said. ''Everybody liked Lance. He was just one of those nice, easy going guys.''

Koenig finished second in the NCAA Division II national tournament as a sophomore and sixth as a junior.

Maughan said Koenig joined the National Guard to help pay for college expenses. The school did not offer full scholarships to wrestlers.

The NDSU coach talked with Koenig while he was home on leave in July.

''He was all excited that he got to come home,'' Maughan said. ''He said it's the worst place in the world you could be . . . desolate and hot. He was dreading the thought of going back.''

Koenig is survived by his wife and two daughters, Maughan said.

''He was completely devoted to his family,'' Maughan said. ''Those two little girls meant the world to him.''

Koenig won the North Central Conference wrestling title as a senior in 1994, but injured his knee in the semifinals of the national tournament.

Joel Vettel, Koenig's teammate at NDSU for five years, said he spent most of Wednesday afternoon and evening on the phone with former Bison wrestlers.

''Many of them haven't see Lance for many years, but they wanted to find out what happened and if they could do anything,'' Vettel said. ''It speaks volumes about the type of person he was. We have been doing a lot of reminiscing.''

A former three-sport standout at Carrington High School, Koenig was probably the best all-around athlete on the NDSU wrestling team, Vettel said.

''He was a very gifted athlete who never took himself real seriously. That was part of his appeal,'' Vettel said. ''He wasn't very flamboyant or outgoing. He would rather sit at home and play Nintendo games than go out.''

Spotted suspicious object: Military officials in Iraq said Wednesday that Koenig was in a vehicle when he spotted a suspicious object at the side of the road.

It turned out to be a bomb, which detonated and killed him, said Maj. Neal O'Brien, spokesman for the Army's 1st Infantry Division.

North Dakota Guard officials said they knew of no other soldiers with serious injuries in the incident.

Wednesday's death brings to six the number of North Dakota National Guardsmen killed in Iraq.

About 475 members of the 141st are stationed there. They started arriving in Kuwait on Feb. 15 and were expected to serve about a year.

The soldiers are in three primary locations - near Balad and Baqubah, which are just north of Baghdad, and near Tikrit, the home town of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. Tikrit is about 100 miles northwest of Baghdad.

Two other members of the unit were killed in May. They were Spc. Philip Brown, 21, of Jamestown, and Spc. James Holmes, 28, of East Grand Forks, Minn. About 19 have been wounded.