Topeka ? Nothing in 25 years of military experience prepared Lt. Col. Lee Tafanelli for what happened May 1 as his soldiers patrolled Baghdad, Iraq.

Around 7:30 p.m., three armored Humvees were inspecting bridges and conducting reconnaissance when a civilian vehicle approached. The 12 soldiers of the Kansas Army National Guard followed their training and motioned for the car to pull to the side of the road. The first two Army vehicles passed without incident.

A third, carrying four members of Company A, 891st Engineer Battalion from Pittsburg, wasn’t as lucky. The civilian vehicle exploded, killing Spc. Derrick Joseph Lutters, 24, a native of Goodland, and injuring three others.

“You have a lot of life experiences in the course of 25 years,” Tafanelli said in a telephone interview from his post in Iraq. “I don’t think any of those experiences or training can prepare you for this.

“There is no news more devastating than to hear that one of your soldiers is killed in action.”

It was 891st’s first casualty of the war; the unit arrived in Iraq in December. Lutters became the third member of the Kansas National Guard killed in combat.

The other two were Staff Sgt. Clinton Wisdom, 39, of Atchison, and Sgt. Don Clary, 21, of Troy, who were killed Nov. 8 when they positioned their vehicle between a high-ranking delegation and a suicide car bomber. They were members of Battery B, 2nd Battalion, 130th Field Artillery Regiment, based at Hiawatha.

Members of Lutters’ unit held a memorial service for him Wednesday, while a second ceremony was held for the remainder of the battalion over the weekend.

“It was a very sad day for them, of course. It offered some closure for those who served with him,” said Tafanelli, a former member of the Kansas House from Ozawkie who resigned his seat in January when ordered to Iraq.

Coincidentally, the Legislature was debating a bill to give a $125,000 death benefit to the families of Wisdom and Clary at the time Lutters was killed.

Tafanelli said the patrol did everything correctly when the incident occurred, making sure oncoming traffic was a safe distance from the Army vehicles as they crossed paths.

“You take a step back as a leader, reassess the situation, apply any lessons learned and apply it to the next mission,” Tafanelli said.

Since it has been in Iraq, he said, the battalion has been repairing infrastructure and patrolling to see that its work remains in place. Tafanelli said the soldiers believe they are making life safer for Iraqis and coalition forces still there.

“The security of all of our soldiers is a priority all the time. But this is a very dangerous place,” he said. “Incidents happen, as regrettable as they are.”

Funeral arrangement for Lutters are incomplete. He was single and living in Burlington, Colo., where he was a corrections officer. His family lives in Goodland.

A briefing is scheduled for Tuesday in Goodland to explain to family and friends about the incident that claimed Lutters. A counselor and Col. Larry Parrish, a Kansas National Guard chaplain, plan to answer questions at the Goodland armory.

“At some point in time, I will write a letter of condolence to the family,” Tafanelli said. “We all owe Spc. Lutters a debt of gratitude. Everyone back home can be very proud of the service and sacrifice of those over here.”