Second Iowa National Guard soldier dies

A second Iowan has died as a result of Sunday’s rocket attack on a helicopter in Iraq. Iowa National Guard spokesman Colonel Robert King says Sergeant Paul Fisher of Marion died unexpectedly Thursday, at a hospital in Germany. Some complications set in and King says the soldier “took a turn for the worse” and passed away. Survivors of the attack had been taken to the German hospital and two more Iowans, both members of the chopper’s crew, remain hospitalized there. King says Fisher was a flight engineer on the Chinook helicopter. King says Fisher served as a crew chief and operated some controls, making sure passengers and cargo were secure. Fisher is the second Iowan from that Davenport unit to die. The pilot of the chopper, Bruce Smith of West Liberty, died earlier this week. He says he’s certain it’s a tough time for them as the unit’s now lost two integral members, a leader and a flight engineer critical to the chopper’s operation. King says it’s hard to imagine how the families feel, and the fellow soldiers have lost a friend. Two other Iowans were treated and returned to their unit, while two more remain hospitalized. King did not have an updated condition on those two soldiers.