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Nathan R. Beyers
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Age:
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24
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Hometown:
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Spokane, WA
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Date of Death:
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7/7/2011
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Incident Location:
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Baghdad, Iraq
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Branch of Military:
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Army National Guard
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Rank:
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SGT.
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Unit:
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145th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Team
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Unit's Base:
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Post Falls, Idaho
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On July 5, Army Spc. Nathan R. Beyers wrote on Facebook that a soldier has only one wish: “To come home safe.”
Two days later, Beyers and Army SPC Nicholas W. Newby, both of Coeur d’Alene, died of wounds they suffered when insurgents attacked their convoy with an explosive in Baghdad. A third soldier from Coeur d’Alene, Staff Sgt. Jason Rzepa, suffered serious injuries in the attack.
Sgt. Nathan R. Beyers, 24, of Littleton, Colo., died July 7 in Baghdad, Iraq, of injuries suffered when insurgents attacked their convoy using an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to 145th Brigade Support Battalion, 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Combat Team, Post Falls, Idaho. Beyers had spent several years in the Coeur d’Alene area, where his wife, Vanessa and their infant daughter still live, Idaho National Guard spokesman Col. Tim Marsano said.
Sgt. Beyers was dedicated to serving his country, to serving others, and especially dedicated to his wife and baby girl. He loved golfing, camping, fishing, and bow hunting.
Beyers and Newby reference time spent studying at North Idaho College in their online profiles and they were assigned to the 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Combat Team, based in Post Falls.
The 116th Cavalry Heavy Brigade Combat Team is on a yearlong mobilization and deployment to Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn. It has 2,700 soldiers from Idaho, Montana and Oregon. The soldiers are scheduled to return to the U.S. in September.
Sgt. Nathan Beyers boyish smile and laughter will be missed by all. He is survived by his wife Vanessa and daughter Ella Jo; his parents Timothy Beyers and Sonja Beyers of Denver, CO; his mother Natalie Bittner of Weir TX; siblings Tyler Beyers and Caelyne Bittner; his grandparents, and two nieces.