July 2003: Duty faithfully performed

Pfc. Edward J. Herrgott, believed to be the first Minnesotan to die in Iraq, was laid to rest with full honors in his hometown of Shakopee.

By Bob von Sternberg, Star Tribune

Last update: March 11, 2008 - 10:26 AM

American flags throughout Shakopee flew at half-staff Tuesday to
honor a native son who was laid to rest 12 days after an Iraqi
sniper killed him.

Barely a month after his 20th birthday, Edward James Herrgott -
universally known as Jim - was eulogized as a man " willing to put
his life on the line for the well-being of others," said the Rev.
Gerold Sevig. "He was killed while sharing his life, seeking peace
for a troubled people."

Herrgott was shot in the neck July 3 while manning the gunner's
hatch of a Bradley fighting vehicle outside the National Museum in
Baghdad. He had taken the place of soldiers who had been wounded.

"Thank you for giving him to us to know and love," Sevig told
dozens of family members during the service in St. John's Lutheran
Church as they stared mutely at Herrgott's flag-draped coffin.
Herrgott is believed to be the first Minnesotan to die in Iraq.

Hundreds of mourners jammed the church a few blocks from downtown
Shakopee, including dozens of his fellow soldiers. Among the
mourners were Gov. Tim Pawlenty and his wife, Mary.

Army Brig. Gen. Roger Nadeau honored Pfc. Herrgott from the
pulpit, posthumously awarding him the Bronze Star for "meritorious
service in Iraq from 19 March to 2 July," and a Purple Heart for
his fatal wound. Nadeau presented the medals in a green leather
case to Herrgott's parents, Edward and Marcia.

Herrgott means "Lord God" in German, and Sevig invoked the love
of God when he introduced the venerable 23rd Psalm as a passage
"that reminds us the Lord watches over us and guides us all the
days of our lives." That said, he grimly underscored the brevity of
Herrgott's life and added simply: "I don't know why this happened."

The war that has so far claimed the life of Herrgott and 219
other Americans demonstrates that "the world was and is a hostile
place," Sevig said. "The reasons for war, pain, suffering, killing
and dying are as old as humankind."

Outside the sanctuary, before the funeral began, Herrgott's body
lay in full dress uniform in an open gunmetal-gray coffin. Propped
up nearby was a photo montage, showing him at stages of his life: a
smiling toddler, a determined martial arts student, a proud high
school graduate, a new soldier. In one of the photos, he's showing
off a tattoo of his family name snaking across his upper back.

After graduating from Shakopee High School in 2001, he joined the
Army the following January with the thought of bringing some
discipline to what had occasionally been a wild life. He was also
planning to use the service as a financial springboard to college,
where he planned to study to become a police officer.