Published: September 11, 2009 10:52 pm         

Soldier with Valley ties dies in Iraq

TERRE HAUTE — U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Todd W. Selge, 25, of Burnsville, Minn., the grandson of Paul and Myrtle Selge and Harold and Doris Patterson, both of Terre Haute, died Sept. 3 in Baqubah, Iraq in a non-combat accident.

The U.S. Department of Defense announced the death of Selge, and Spc. Jordan M. Shay, 22, of Salisbury, Mass., from injuries sustained during a vehicle roll-over. The two soldiers were assigned to the 5th Battalion, 20th Army Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Dellona Selge, of Tacoma, Wash., Selge’s wife of nearly five years, told the Pioneer Press of St. Paul, Minn., that the two men were in an armed combat vehicle that fell 60 feet off of a bridge. Selge was thrown and crushed under the vehicle, along with fellow infantryman Shay.

“He was definitely gung-ho about the military,” Dellona Selge, told the Pioneer Press, adding that her husband planned to stay in the military until 2012 before returning to Burnsville.

Paul Selge said his son, Paul Selge III, is the father of Staff Sgt. Selge, whose older brother, Brent, is on active duty with the Army National Guard.

“We didn’t have a chance to see him very often. We were so far apart,” Paul Selge said of his grandson living in Tacoma, Wash.

He said his grandson’s body is to be flown back to Minnesota on Sunday, with a visitation planned for Monday. Staff Sgt. Selge is to be buried Tuesday at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis.

“You never know. He was shot during his first tour, which was quite an experience for him. He was quite loyal to his troops and wanted to be with them,” Paul Selge said.

Staff Sgt. Selge, in March 2007, was shot in the leg and the back about nine months into his first deployment. He returned home for three months to heal, then rejoined his battalion. The Sept. 3 accident happened days into his second deployment to Iraq.

Harold and Doris Patterson did not immediately respond to telephone messages left Friday at their Terre Haute home seeking comment.

A military release states Selge enlisted July 12, 2004 at Burnsville, Minn. He reported to Fort Lewis, Wash. on Jan. 5, 2005. He was first deployed to Iraq in June 2006. He was awarded the Purple Heart, plus several medals including the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal (six awards) and others.

Todd and Dellona Selge met as seniors at Burnsville Senior High School, where they graduated in 2002. After two years of college, Selge joined the military and the two were married in December 2004.

In a family statement, released from Fort Lewis, Wash., Dellona Selge said, “Todd was an awesome soldier, a loving husband, and great father, and an unforgettable friend.

“This was his second tour to Iraq. [He] was awarded the Purple Heart during his first tour and refused to stay stateside. ‘I need to be with my brothers’ he told me. I understood and supported him in his decision,” Dellona Selge said.

The couple have two sons, Dallas, 6, and Austin, 2.

“Our boys loved their father and saw him as a true hero. They want to grow up and be just like him,” she said.

His wife said Staff Sgt. Selge wrote an essay on his perspective of a soldier’s day-to-day life in Iraq. He wrote, “‘What does the average soldier think on a daily basis? He wants to accomplish the mission. He wants to see the smiles of the Iraqi people endure. He is grateful for everything he has back at home and wishes the very same freedom he is fighting for, upon the country of Iraq.’”

Howard Greninger can be reached at (812) 231-4204 or howard.greninger@tribstar.com.