Three South Dakota Soldiers Injured

RAPID CITY – Three South Dakota Army National Guard soldiers had a close call today, July 14, 2003, when an explosion threw them from the HUMVEE they were riding in.  

The three soldiers from the 200^th Engineer Company were conducting security patrol operations in Northern Iraq when their HUMVEE was hit.  

Sustaining minor injuries were Staff Sgt Daryl Devries of Armour, Spec Tyler Campbell of Lemmon, and Spec Cory McKinstry of Ree Heights.

 Details of the incident are still under investigation but family members have been notified.  

The 200^th Engineer Company of Pierre, Chamberlain, and Mobridge with members from the 854^th Quartermaster Company of Lemmon was placed on alert Jan 15, 2003 and activated to federal service Jan 24, 2003.  The unit departed for Kuwait on April 5, 2003 and moved into Northern Iraq in late April.  

Unit members installed a 300-meter bridge across the Tigris River and are currently maintaining bridge operations, securing the bridge site and base camp and conducting minor hauling projects.

South Dakota has seven Army National Guard units deployed to support Operation Iraqi Freedom.  Units include the 200^th, 109^th Engineer Battalion of Sturgis, 727^th Transportation Company of Elk Point, Brookings, Watertown, and Flandreau, 740^th Transportation Company of Milbank and Brookings, Company B, 109^th Medical Battalion of Vermillion, 842^nd Engineer Company of Spearfish, Sturgis, and Belle Fourche, and the 1742^nd Transportation Company of Sioux Falls and Flandreau.