
FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. — An Illinois native who recently reenlisted to serve a longer tour of duty in Iraq was killed Thursday in a landmine explosion, his family said.
Sgt. Christopher Wagener, 24, of Fairview Heights, died near Mosul, Iraq, and appeared to have been killed instantly, according to his father, Ken Wagener. He added that the family was seeking more information about the incident.
“We are trying to find out whether he suffered or not,” Ken Wagener said, speaking by telephone Thursday night from his home in Fairview Heights, a town about 10 miles from St. Louis.
Christopher Wagener was a helicopter repair technician from an aviation unit based in Fort Drum,...