Peter Wagler

Peter Daniel Wagler was born February 10, 1987 in his parents’ home in Winfield, Illinois and died January 23, 2006 in Baghdad, Iraq, 18 days before he would have turned 19.
He began Army basic training at Ft. Knox, Kentucky in September of 2004 and served at Ft. Hood, Texas on a tank crew from January to December, 2005. On December 4, 2005 he was deployed to Kuwait in preparation for a mission in Iraq. He celebrated the New Year by riding in a Humvee towards Baghdad.
His unit was stationed at Baghdad Airport, where they undertook patrol operations in the area. While on a patrol, on Monday, January 23, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) buried deep in the ground was detonated near Peter’s tank. The resulting explosion killed Peter and one other crew member and injured two others. On the morning of January 24, Army Chaplain DeRienzo and an assistant arrived at the Wagler home in Partridge, Kansas to notify them of Peter’s death.
As an infant, Peter’s parents dedicated him to the Lord, and he attended church regularly with his family. At age ten, Peter accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal savior. He was baptized at 17 before he began military service.
At age 12, Peter participated in a Christian outdoor training camp in Northern Michigan. In 2003 and 2004, Peter attended the Summit Ministries Christian worldview training camp in Manitou Springs, Colorado, which he thoroughly enjoyed and which gave him a stronger basis for his faith.
From an early age, Peter loved activity and excitement. He had a great ability of taking ordinary things and making them interesting, not only for himself, but for those around him. One evening when his older brother Vanya came to his room, he discovered that 2-year-old Peter had spread his hair gel, cologne, and other items all over Vanya’s bed, just for the fun of it.
Peter also enjoyed eating sticks of chapstick, and ate at least 12 sticks of his sister’s. Other unusual things he ate include grasshoppers and occasionally, a cricket. During down time in the Army, Peter entertained his buddies by eating bugs for pay.
Fire fascinated Peter from early in his life. He learned how to build and tend bonfires. As he grew older, he bought fireworks every chance he had. When his parents did not allow him to buy any fireworks before a large family reunion in Georgia, he taught his cousins how to build an explosive device using household ingredients and two-liter pop bottles. Later, he wanted to join the Army Special Forces as an explosives specialist, but because his parents objected, he instead chose to be a tanker.
After home schooling through high school, Peter studied pre-nursing at Hutchinson Community College at the age of 16, where he made the Dean’s Honor Roll. However, his interests always were more action-oriented and mechanical than academic. At four he started using his father’s carpentry tools to build all kinds of things, including boats, go karts, wagons, and finally a small storage shed which is still in use. When he was nine, Peter repaired a defective washer pump which his dad had intended to replace.
One of Peter’s loves was animals. He faithfully cared for a donkey, a horse, a number of steers (some of which he rode), sheep, chickens, hogs, goats as well as training his special border collie, Lad.
At age 11 Fred Pieplow invited Peter to join him as a partner in a firewood business. Together, Fred and Peter harvested and sold firewood, and built an ever-stronger friendship that carried through to the end of Peter’s life. In fact, Peter’s phone calls from Iraq had two destinations: either family or Fred.
After three years Fred and Peter sold the wood business, and turned their focus to working on cars, first Peter’s 1973 El Camino, and later a 1994 Grand Am. As Peter had no living grandparents, Fred took on this role. Through Fred’s guidance, Peter became a skilled outdoor sportsman. When Peter returned to Kansas in January 2005, he had only one day in which he could hunt, but still managed to take three deer in that day.
They played together, worked together and provided accountability for each other. Several weeks before his death Peter insisted that Fred see the doctor about a health matter, so he did. The family thanks Fred for all he invested in Peter’s life.
Music also played a significant part of Peter’s life. Singing from early childhood, he reluctantly sang a solo as a boy soprano in a family program. After his voice changed, he became a strong bass and sang in a presentation of Handel’s Messiah with the Reno Choral Society. Through his lessons Peter became a skilled piano student. His enthusiastic style was perhaps best displayed when he played Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.
Peter also studied Tong Soo Do martial arts, where he earned a green belt for his achievement. He has posthumously been awarded a black belt.
With his interest in building things, he took a summer job at Sturdi-Bilt Storage Barns when he was 15. He enjoyed the work except for the frustration of state regulations that kept him from using power tools, something he had done at home since age 10.
So the next summer he joined his brother Vanya in working at the Mennonite Manor retirement home as a Certified Nurse Aide, a job he thoroughly enjoyed because of the constant opportunity for social interaction. A fast worker, his nickname became Speedy. The only time he got into trouble was for running down the hall with residents’ wheelchairs, even though they enjoyed the ride. A favorite with the residents, some of them shed tears when he left to join the Army.
From a very young age, Peter always enjoyed working hard, a fact appreciated by his superiors at all of his jobs, including in the Army.
When we remember Peter we think of a young man who was full of life, and who sought action and excitement while maintaining a deep personal faith in God. We will continue to miss Peter—his absence leaves a huge hole—but we rejoice that he is with Jesus in heaven, and that he had no regrets about his short life which he lived to the fullest. He touched many people in his life and more people than we may ever know in his death.

Hutchinson News Obituary

PARTRIDGE - Corporal Peter Daniel Wagler, 18, was killed in action, Jan. 23, 2006, in Baghdad, Iraq.

He was born Feb. 10, 1987, in Winfield, Ill., the son of David S. and Trish Hershberger Wagler. He attended Hutchinson Community College. Prior to joining the U.S. Army in September 2004, he was a Certified Nurse's Aide, working at Mennonite Friendship Manor, South Hutchinson.

He attended Berean Baptist Church, Hutchinson, was a member and Past Vice President of the Royal Clovers 4-H Club of Reno County and was accomplished in martial arts. He had been serving in Iraq since December 2005.

Survivors include: his parents, David and Trish Wagler, Partridge; two brothers, Vanya, Tulsa, and Josiah, of the home; five sisters, Rochelle Sylvester, Missouri; Bethany, Hutchinson; Maria, Pretoria, Republic of South Africa; and Esther and Sarah, both of Partridge; two nieces, Tikvah and Grace; 17 aunts and uncles; and 36 first cousins.

Funeral will be at 10 a.m. Friday at First Church of the Nazarene, 4290 North Monroe, Hutchinson, with Pastor Roger Neir and U.S. Army Chaplain Mike DeRienzo presiding. Friends may sign the register from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday at Elliott Mortuary. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. and from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Berean Baptist Church, 1620 Center Street, Hutchinson. Burial will be in Partridge Cemetery, with military graveside rites conducted by the Fort Riley Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Summit Ministries, in care of the funeral home. Personal condolences may be sent to www.elliottmortuary.com.

News Release from Wagler Family

Our son, Corporal Peter Daniel Wagler, was killed in action in Baghdad, Iraq on January 23, 2006. His 19th birthday would have been on February 10.
Peter was on a patrol in his tank when the vehicle struck an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) buried deep underground. Besides one other casualty, two other crewmembers were injured in the explosion.
Peter completed his Army basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky in December, 2004, and then served at Fort Hood, Texas until his tank crew was deployed in December 2005.
After about a month in Kuwait, the crew undertook operations in Baghdad. Peter's excellent mechanical skills made him a favorite in the motor pool where they serviced the tanks. On his tank he served in either the driver or loader position.
From the time he was five years old, Peter's dream was to serve in the military. He loved the challenge the military provided, and earned excellent marks in his physical training and gained the admiration of many of his superiors.
Peter was assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Iron Horse) at Fort Hood, Texas.
Peter was a committed Christian who desired to serve the Lord faithfully in all he did. In a letter he left to be opened only in case of his death, he said he had no regrets. He loved life and lived it with gusto. His contagious enthusiasm endeared him to many wherever he went.
When Peter was seven, I made a name plaque for him with the meaning of his name, "Rock," and a Bible verse from Joshua 1: 9. "Have I not commanded you, be strong and of good courage. Do not be afraid nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
We as a family are grieving the loss of Peter, but rejoicing that he is with Jesus in Heaven. Peter touched many lives and will be sorely missed. His immediate family, my wife Trish and I, along with our other two sons and five daughters, mourn his death yet anticipate meeting him in Heaven.

Family says Peter D. Wagler lived his dream

Partridge soldier killed this week in Iraq had lifelong wish to serve in the military

By Dave Stephens
The Hutchinson News
Friday, January 27, 2006
dstephens@hutchnews.com

PARTRIDGE - On Thanksgiving, Pfc. Peter D. Wagler was at home with his family, preparing for deployment to Iraq.
On Jan. 20, the 18-year-old Army soldier and mechanic from Partridge called home from Baghdad to let his mom know that he was doing fine.
On Monday, Peter was killed along with another soldier when an improvised explosive device detonated near the M1A2 Abrams tank in which he was riding.
And on Wednesday, in front of television, radio and newspaper reporters, Peter's family sat in the living room of their family home trying to tell the story of Peter's life and how, even at his young age, he chose to live it to the fullest.

"From the time he was 5 years old, Peter's dream was to serve in the military," said David Wagler, Peter's father. "He told me that before enlisting."
In response to reporters' questions, Peter's family described him as a young man full of enthusiasm, the kind who makes instant friends and has a zeal for life.
His older brother, Vanya Wagler, described Peter as a boy with a mischievous side, who liked playing with firecrackers and had enormous amounts of energy.
"Wherever he went," Vanya Wagler said, "he had a good time."
One of David and Trish Wagler's eight children, Peter grew up on the family farm several miles south of town. He had a knack for mechanical things, family members said, and seemed to be able to fix anything.
Since the time Peter was 7, the Waglers have attended Berean Baptist Church in Hutchinson, where the family was active in a variety of church activities, Pastor Roger Neir said, including the church's youth group.
Like the rest of the Wagler children, Peter was taught at home. In 2003, he enrolled in classes at Hutchinson Community College, where he studied nursing.
But his main goal, his father said, had always been to join the military.
"We had many discussions about it," David Wagler said of his son's decision to join the Army. "It wasn't our preference, but he had such a good attitude, and it wasn't just on a whim."
Before joining the military, Peter spent his extra time working - first for Sturdi-Bilt Barns in the Pleasantview area and then for Mennonite Manor in South Hutchinson.
Perry Miller, who worked with Peter at Sturdi-Bilt, remembers a young man with a lot of potential, someone who was, even at a young age, a dependable worker.
Co-workers at Mennonite Manor, where Peter worked as a CNA, remember a compassionate teenager with unlimited energy, who never seemed sad and who dreamed of serving his country.
In September of 2004, Peter enlisted in the Army, completing his basic training at Fort Knox, Ky., before being assigned to Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team at Fort Hood, Texas. He was deployed to the Middle East in December, spending a month in Kuwait before transferring to Baghdad earlier this month.
Peter's death makes him the second soldier from Reno County to die while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom and the 23rd soldier from Kansas. Marine Sgt. Christopher Perez, 30, of Hutchinson, died May 23.
David Wagler said his family's mourning - they found out about Peter's death early Tuesday morning - has been buffeted by two things: a letter written by Peter and the family's strong faith, in which Peter openly shared.
"Peter was a committed Christian who desired to serve the Lord faithfully in all he did," David Wagler said as part of his prepared statement. "In a letter he left to be opened only in the case of his death, he said he had no regrets."
David Wagler, who declined to comment about his personal thoughts on the war in Iraq, said funeral arrangements for his son still are pending as the family waits for his body to be shipped back to the United States.

For more information:
Peter Wagler
P. O. Box 1
Partridge, KS 67566 US

Custom Web Site Design & Ecommerce