MANKATO — A Mankato man was killed in Iraq Wednesday by a bomb that struck his vehicle while he was on patrol near the city of Tikrit in the notorious Sunni Triangle.
Lt. Michael Fasnacht, 25, was killed by a remote bomb while manning a gun turret atop his Bradley fighting vehicle, said the Rev. Glenn Frerichs, the priest at St. Anne's Parish Center in Janesville, who has spoken with Fasnacht's family.
Frerichs said Fasnacht was traveling in the lead vehicle of a four-vehicle caravan when the bomb hit. The attack occurred at around 3 p.m. CST Wednesday.
Frerichs said he believes Fasnacht's family, which includes a wife and his parents, Ray and Marny of Janesville, found out about his death at 1 a.m. Thursday morning.
"They're taking it really hard," said Ken Fasnacht, a cousin.
The Rev. Larry Griffin of Trinity Lutheran Church in Janesville knows the Fasnacht family.
"It's a wonderful family," he said. "It's horrible what happened."
Fasnacht, a Janesville native, graduated from Minnesota State University.
Fasnacht's body is expected to be returned to Minnesota this weekend or early next week.
Fasnacht is the 23rd Minnesotan to die in the Iraq war.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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