Sgt. Werner's story

Amboy soldier killed in Iraq
Sgt. Earl D. Werner was on his third deployment

THE COLUMBIAN
Saturday, August 29 | 3:18 p.m.

An Amboy man on his third deployment in Iraq with the Oregon Army National Guard was one of two soldiers killed Friday by insurgent forces.

Sgt. Earl D. Werner, 38, died of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an explosively formed penetrator, an improvised device powerful enough to send lethal shards of metal through even heavily armored military vehicles.

The attack in Rashid, Iraq, also claimed the life of Taylor D. Marks, 19, of Monmouth, Ore., who was posthumously promoted to the rank of specialist. Both soldiers were assigned to the 41st Special Troops Battalion, 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Oregon Army National Guard, which had been in Iraq since June.

Werner is survived by his wife of two years, Casey, and son, Justin, 19. They live near Amboy just inside Cowlitz County.

"This was the second tour of his marriage, so they didn't have a heck of a lot of time together," said Eunice Royer of Vancouver, Casey Werner's grandmother. "It's just so sad for us to see that Casey has to go through this."

"The military was one thing that was very important to his life," said Duane Royer of Vancouver, Werner's father-in-law. "He had such a great caring for the other people he worked with in the National Guard. He felt very responsible for them. That was a driving force of him wanting to do it again. He wanted to take care of people."

When not on active duty, Werner worked as a truck driver. He'd driven long-haul trucks, heavy equipment and gravel trucks.

"He was a very talented young man who knew how to do his job," said Duane Royer. He said that when a landslide blocked a road near Amboy, Werner rounded up equipment to clear the road and deliver gravel for his neighbors.

Werner raised horses, loved his pets and was an avid fisherman. "He actually went fishing in Baghdad," Royer said. "It wasn't any fish he'd want to keep, but he did it."

Werner's first deployment was as part of the 2nd Battalion, 162 Infantry in 2004. Later he deployed with the 234th Engineer Company in 2007 before transferring to the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team for deployment.

During his time with the Oregon National Guard, Werner was awarded the Bronze Star, two Army Commendation Medals and the Combat Action Badge.

Details about possible memorial arrangements are pending.

-- Mark Bowder; mark.bowder@columbian.com