A soldier from Dubuque is being treated at a military hospital in Germany after being injured in Iraq. Private First Class Eric Melde turned 21 on April 14th, while serving in Iraq, days before the attack.
After he was hit with shrapnel, he called home two times around 5:15 a.m. Iowa time. Both calls lasted forty seconds, but Jackie Melde said it was good to hear her son’s voice. He told her it felt like “a real hard punch in the back.” Captain Steve Powers, Eric’s commander, and the area family readiness group have been in contact with the Melde family updating them on his condition and situation.