Updated at 12:17 p.m., Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Two Schofield soldiers killed in Iraq identified

Advertiser Staff

Sgt. Jonathan E. Lootens Handout photo

Two Schofield Barracks soldiers who were killed in Iraq on Sunday have been identified as 1st Lt. Joshua Deese, 25, of Robeson County, N.C., and Sgt. Jonathan E. Lootens, 25, of Lyons, N.Y., according to the Department of Defense.

Both soldiers died of injuries suffered during combat operations when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle in Kirkuk, Iraq. Deese died in Balad, Iraq, following the incident.