Two of the soldiers killed Saturday in the deadliest single attack on U.S. forces in Iraq were from Wisconsin, the Associated Press reported Sunday.
Sgt. Warren S. Hansen, of Clintonville, and Spc. Eugene A. Uhl III, of Amherst, are the sixth and seventh Wisconsin residents to die in Iraq. The two members of the 101st Airborne Division died when two Black Hawk helicopters collided during training in Mosul, Iraq.
Uhl's mother told AP her son would have turned 22 this Thanksgiving. The last time she saw him in person was Christmas last year. He was engaged to be married in June and is survived by his parents, three sisters and a brother.
Hansen, 36, had two brothers and was single. His father also died in military service, Hansen's pastor told AP.
Wisconsin has lost five other soldiers in this conflict: Army Pfc. Rachel Bosveld, 19, of Waupun; Army Spc. Paul J. Sturino, 21, of Rice Lake; Army Reservist Dan Gabrielson, 40, of Frederick; Army Maj. Mathew Schram, 36, of Brookfield; and Marine Sgt. Kirk Straseskie, 23, of Beaver Dam.
President Bush Friday formally nominated Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Diane Sykes to the federal U.S. Court of Appeals in Chicago, which covers Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana.
Sykes' nomination still has to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate, but if she leaves the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Gov. Jim Doyle will appoint another to take her place, making Republicans worried about the possible shift of power on the court. It is considered to have a 5-2 conservative bent.
If the Senate approves the nomination by Dec. 1, Sykes' appointed successor will have to run for re-election in April. If the Senate delays until after that election, her successor will avoid running for re-election until 2008.
Sykes has served on the Wisconsin Supreme Court since 1999.
