Rhett W. Schiller killed by small arms fire

MILWAUKEE A soldier from Waterford who was engaged to be married and developed a reputation as a "hard charger" after graduating from West Point has been killed in Iraq, the U.S. Army said Friday.

Capt. Rhett W. Schiller, 26, died Thursday in Balad Ruz, Iraq, of injuries suffered when his unit fought with enemy forces using small arms during a combat operation, the Army said in a statement.

Schiller was assigned to the 5th Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg, N.C.

"He was what we refer to in the Army as a hard charger," said Maj. Tom Ernhardt, a spokesman for the 82nd Airborne. "From his brief time in the Army, he accomplished everything you can expect out of an infantry officer."

Schiller graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in May 2003. He was sent to New Orleans to help with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina before being deployed to Iraq in August, the Army said.

Schiller's squadron commander, Lt. Col. Andrew Poppas, said Schiller led by example.

"Rhett raised the spirits and motivation of all those that knew him," Poppas said in a statement. "His humble manner and friendly smile will truly be missed."

Schiller has a brother in the Marines and sister in the Army who is also stationed at Fort Bragg, Ernhardt said. Schiller's fiancee lives in Fort Bragg, Ernhardt said.

Schiller is the 62nd soldier or Marine from Wisconsin to die in Iraq since U.S. troops invaded the country in March 2003 to topple President Saddam Hussein. More than 2,800 U.S. troops have died in the fighting.

From WFRV 5