William R. Newgard dies of injuries from I.E.D.

Will Newgard grew up with an insatiable interest in the military. He read endless volumes of war history and strategy, attended a Wisconsin military academy for a year and asked question after question about his grandfathers, both of whom had served.

When he graduated from Hersey High School in Arlington Heights in 2005, the potential danger of Army life was clear. But he signed up anyway, and was soon in Iraq, assigned the important and risky job of driving high-ranking officers around the lethal streets of Baghdad.

It was there, on Friday, that the private first class was killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle, the Pentagon said. He was 20.

His death has been a terrible blow to his family and friends, but they have taken comfort in the knowledge he found a deep satisfaction in serving his country.

"When I knew he wanted to join up, I was very scared," said his mother, Kaki Newgard of Palatine. "But in my heart, I knew that was something he had wanted to do for a long time. As long as he was following his dream, I was OK with it."

Newgard's sister Holly, 24, remembered that her brother, even from age 4, seemed destined for the military. He wore camouflage constantly and loved "G.I. Joe" cartoons.

His interest took him to Delafield, Wis., for middle school at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy, but he returned to Arlington Heights to finish high school.

Joe Krajacic, Hersey dean of students, said Newgard had been a very friendly and polite kid, quick to flash a roguish grin when questioned about an absence.

But when Newgard returned for a recent visit, Krajacic said, he was obviously no longer a scruffy youngster but a squared-away soldier.

"He looked very confident," Krajacic said. "He definitely had aged. You could tell that he had grown up."

Newgard was assigned to the 1st Armored Division, stationed in Germany. He came home for a two-week leave in December, and visited Sanborn School in Palatine, where his mother is the secretary.

He thanked the pupils for a care package they had sent him filled with everything from letters to toothbrushes, and spoke to children as young as kindergarten age about his days in Iraq, winning them over with his kind and gentle nature.

"It helped them make a connection between what they see on the media and the life of a soldier," Principal Michael Carmody said. "He knew how to respond to [questions] and bring it to their level of understanding."

He also spent a good deal of time with his girlfriend, Samm Gercken, 17, a senior at Rolling Meadows High School. She said he remained mostly silent about his time in Iraq, not wanting to worry her.

"He tried to protect me in a way," she said. "All he said is that it was a really bad place, and he didn't want to be there anymore. He wanted to be home.

"But he really loved [the Army]. It was his dream."

Newgard's family said that arrangements for a memorial service have yet to be made, but that he will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

"We will remember his smile, his eyes, the love he had for everybody around him," Gercken said. "He was a really good person."

From the Tribune