Two from Washington lose lives in Iraq

SPOKANE — Two soliders with ties to Washington state recently were killed in Iraq.

Army Sgt. Curt E. Jordan Jr., 25, of Greenacres, east of Spokane, died Sunday at a logistical support base near Bayji, according to the Department of Defense.

Jordan was involved in a minesweeping operation and fumes from a chemical he encountered apparently triggered a lethal reaction, perhaps from allergies, according to his stepmother, Tina Jordan.

Jordan was assigned to the 14th Combat Engineer Battalion, 555th Combat Engineer Group, based at Fort Lewis. He was married and had a 6-year-old daughter and 1 1/2-year-old son, Tina Jordan said. The family lived at Fort Lewis

Army Staff Sgt. Stephen C. Hattamer, 43, of Gwinn, Mich., was killed on Christmas Day when his living quarters came under mortar attack, the Defense Department said. He was a native of the Spokane Valley.

Hattamer was assigned to the 652nd Engineer Battalion, U.S. Army Reserve, based out of Ellsworth, Wis.

Hattamer’s cousin, Joyce Anderson, said he grew up in the Spokane Valley and graduated from Central Valley High School. An elder in the Lutheran Church, Hattamer would conduct Bible studies with other soldiers, according to his sister, Theresa Anderson.

Hattamer will be buried in the Spokane area next week. Details were not immediately available. He is survived by his wife, Karen, and three children.