IRAQ WAR
Soldier From the Roanoke Area, a Mother of 3, Is Killed
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Sgt. Tracy Renee Birkman, an Army mechanic and mother of three from the Roanoke area, died Friday after suffering injuries unrelated to combat in Owesat, Iraq, according to military officials. The incident is under investigation, they said.
In addition to her three sons, Birkman, 41, of New Castle, is survived by her parents, according to officials at Fort Campbell, Ky., where her division, the 101st Airborne, is based.
Birkman's father, Jerald Griffith, a Vietnam War veteran, said he was angry with military officials for releasing information about his daughter's death and with the news media for its portrayal of soldiers such as himself.
"I didn't want it released. I am so [furious] about all this I can just scream," said Griffith, also of New Castle. "I hate the media with just an unmitigated passion. You . . . lied about me when I was in Vietnam."
He said his daughter was on her third deployment. "She's over there in a war we shouldn't even be involved in, on her third tour," Griffith said.
Information about the circumstances of Birkman's death was not immediately available, said Cathy Gramling, a Fort Campbell spokeswoman. "I just know that it was non-combat-related injuries," she said.
Determining the cause of death will involve an autopsy, Gramling said.
The Defense Department has a long-standing policy of identifying fallen service members, she said. "The DOD puts out the information at least 24 hours after the final next of kin is notified," Gramling said.
Birkman was a light-wheel vehicle mechanic. She was assigned to the 626th Brigade Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and had received several awards, including the Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal and the Korea Defense Service Medal, according to the military.
-- Michael Laris and Meg Smith
