Soldier from Gorham dies in Iraq of apparent cardiac arrest (Matthew Schneider)

CONCORD, N.H. -- A soldier who died of an apparent heart attack in Iraq this week was born with a heart condition that his parents said seemed to disappear during his childhood.

The death of Spc. Matthew Schneider, a Gorham, N.H. native who was found dead in his bunk in Ar Ramadi, was perplexing to his father because the soldier was in top shape.

"I spoke to him about five hours before he died and he complained of nothing," said Andrew Schneider, who lives in Kittery, Maine. "This was a kid cranking out 100 pushups and he was proud of the miles he could run."

The 6-foot, 175-pound soldier who easily passed his physical training and was given a clean bill of health when he entered the Army was unresponsive in his bunk Monday morning. He was rushed to a medical facility but could not be revived.

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