Ronald Alan Schulz | |
---|---|
Born | Jamestown, North Dakota, U.S. | March 29, 1965
Died | c. December 8, 2005 | (aged 40)
Ronald Alan Schulz (March 29, 1965 – circa December 8, 2005) was an American civilian contract worker in Iraq who was kidnapped and killed by Iraqi insurgents.
Early life
Schulz graduated from Jamestown High School in Jamestown, North Dakota in 1983. He joined the United States Marine Corps and served from 1984 to 1991. After leaving the Marines, Schulz moved to Alaska.[1]
Death in Iraq
In 2005, Schulz went to Iraq as a civilian contract worker initially doing electrical work for KBR (Kellog Brown & Root). He had left them to do electrical work for an unspecified private security organization. On or around November 25, 2005, Schulz was kidnapped by unknown insurgents, although the US government didn't announce the kidnapping until December 6.[1]
On December 6, 2005, the Islamic Army in Iraq uploaded a video to the internet showing Schulz sitting in a white plastic chair with his hands tied behind his back. The group threatened to kill him in 48 hours unless the U.S. government freed all Iraqi prisoners and paid compensation to Iraqis affected by military offensives led by U.S. troops against militants in the Sunni Muslim-dominated Anbar province. On December 8, 2005, the group declared that they had killed Schulz after the U.S. refused to give in to their demands.[2]
On December 19, 2005, the militants uploaded a video showing Schulz's death, in which he is shot in the back of the head with an automatic rifle. The video included footage of Schulz's identification card.[1][3] Schulz's remains were found in a grave in Iraq in September 2008 along with those of Susan Bushra, his Kurdish fiancée. The remains were confirmed to be Schulz's in October and they were returned to North Dakota for burial.[4]
See also
Notes
- ^ a b c MacPherson, James, "North Dakota Family To Bury Slain Hostage", San Diego Union-Tribune (Associated Press), October 31, 2008.
- ^ "U.S. hostage killed, Iraq militant group says". NBC News. August 12, 2005. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
- ^ BBC|Iraqi group shows 'hostage death'
- ^ "FBI: Remains of ND civilian recovered in Iraq - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2021-01-07.