A Burnsville soldier who died Thursday in Iraq was just days into his second tour in the country where he had been shot two years ago.

Staff Sgt. Todd W. Selge, 25, was killed in a vehicle rollover in Baqubah, 30 miles northeast of Baghdad, the Defense Department confirmed Friday.

His wife, Dellona, said she was told that he was returning from a mission when his eight-wheeled armored combat vehicle dropped 60 feet from a bridge. He was thrown from the vehicle, and it landed on him, she said.

Specialist Jordan Shay, 22, of Salisbury, Mass., also died in the rollover.

Both men were assigned to the 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 2nd Infantry Division, based at Fort Lewis, Wash. They were deployed to Iraq on Aug. 4 but had stopped in Kuwait and had been in Iraq for perhaps 10 days, Dellona Selge said.

It was Todd Selge's second deployment to Iraq, she said. In March 2007, nine months into his first tour, Selge was shipped home with injuries after he was shot twice, in the leg and lower back. Three months later, he headed back to his comrades. "His commander at the time did not want him to go back to Iraq, but he's a very devoted man," she said. "When he sets his mind to something, he's going to do it regardless."

Selge and his wife began dating near the end of their senior year at Burnsville High School. The couple has two sons, ages 6 and 2.

Selge had planned to move back to Minnesota when he finished his duties as a soldier and had talked about working for the military as a civilian employee, his wife said.

Sarah Lemagie • 952-882-9016