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BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

Army Private First Class Edward James (Jim) Herrgott was born June 9, 1983, the son of parents Marcia and Edward Herrgott.

He lived all of his life in Shakopee, Minnesota, Scott County and was known as a quiet kid. Jim Herrgott was not necessarily well known around Shakopee. He was not a star high school athlete, nor was he celebrated for his academic achievements. His friends and family say he was just a regular kid who was in the midst of an important transition from a bumpy -- sometimes wild -- adolescence to what everyone hoped would be a more stable and responsible adulthood.

According to his boyhood friend, Troy Schimek, Jim made some mistakes in his life, but “he always took it in stride and righted himself.” Dawn Vohnoutka was a classmate who said, "People just should know he was a good kid.” She remembers bus rides together, e-mail chats and trips to the movies.

Soon after graduating from Shakopee High School in 2001 he enlisted into the Army, reporting for duty in January of 2002. He wanted to help the nation and also help himself. He had a four year plan to earn some money, so he could later pursue a career in law enforcement. Troy Schimek said, “the Army gave him a little discipline, a little guidance in his life and he was getting on track.”

Jim was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Armored Division which had been deployed to Iraq. He spoke with his parents on July 2nd telling them that he was being transferred to a company that was in a bad part of Baghdad where they were getting hit all the time and soldiers were getting hurt.

On July 3rd Edward James Herrgott, age 20, was in his Bradley Fighting Vehicle, guarding the national museum in Baghdad, Iraq, when he was killed by a sniper’s single bullet to the neck. He was the first Minnesotan to die in that country.

In a short meeting with reporters on July 4th, Elizabeth Herrgott, Jim’s sister, noted the significance of getting the news of the death on Independence Day. "When it's your own brother that's getting killed, and you find out on today of all days, it's really difficult," she said.

Jim Herrgott was buried in Valley Cemetery in Shakopee, Minnesota and was survived by parents, Marcia and Edward Herrgott; sisters, Beth Herrgott of Bloomington and Amy Herrgott of Belle Plaine; nieces, Sonya Herrgott and Miranda Evans; grandparents, Regina and Orville Kewatt of Kilkenny, Minnesota and Alice and Tom McClune of Le Center, Minnesota and many other relatives and friends.