Edward Donald Iwan was born on February 9, 1976, in Albion, NE to Kenneth and Donna Iwan. He was named after his Uncle Edward Dugan who served and was killed in Vietnam in 1970. Ed was raised on his family’s farm, attended St. Michael’s Catholic School, and graduated from Albion High School in 1994.

In September 1994, Ed enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a mechanic. Ed was practical and said, “anywhere you are, you can work as a mechanic while you go to school.” Ed attended Basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina then went to Maryland for schooling. He was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas to work in the Motor Pool and went to Fort Benning, Georgia for Paratrooper training. Ed loved the peacefulness he felt while skydiving. He was discharged from the Army in 1997.

After his discharge, Ed enrolled at the University of Nebraska where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice. During college Ed was active in the ROTC program at UNL and enlisted in the National Guard and Army Reserves. Ed also worked security at the University and at Husker games.

Ed earned many awards while in the military and ROTC, including the 1998 Nebraska National Guard of the year. In December of 2001 he returned to the Army and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.

In February of 2002, Ed was assigned to Vilseck, Germany as part of the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment. He served in Kosovo for a year as well as several other locations, which included building bridges in Honduras. Ed was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on June 22, 2003.

Ed enjoyed traveling. In one letter, he said “there are times I hate how far my job takes me from my friends and family but there are times when I am in a place (mountain in Hondo, beach in Italy or Florida) and I know that without the Army I would not be there to experience it. Besides if I had to get a real job, I would hate life...hehe”.

In January of 2004, Ed was deployed to Iraq. In the spring and summer of 2004, the Task Force 2-2 Infantry that Ed was a part of fought in several cities including Baqubah, Mosul, and Muqdadiyah. During the summer of 2004, Ed was promoted to the Executive Officer of Company A. On November 5, 2004, Ed’s Infantry Company moved to Camp Fallujah to take part in the Battle of Fallujah, also called Operation Phantom Fury.

On November 12, Ed’s task force found itself in the middle of a complex ambush. Ed was fatally injured when his Bradley Fighting Vehicle was struck by a rocket propelled grenade. Fr Ron Camarda was with Ed at Surgical Bravo, anointed him with holy oils and sang “O Holy Night” as life, as we know it, left him.

Ed was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his actions. He was also promoted to Captain after his death.

Ed was highly respected by those that served with him and by those he led. One of his team members said, “LT Iwan set the example for what a great leader should be. Strong, fearless, patient, understanding, and above all a friend.”