Soldier is first from Wichita to die in Iraq

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BY DANA STRONGIN

The Wichita Eagle

Sherry Henry once walked in on her brother as he was ironing his Army uniform.

A second uniform was hanging nearby, but it wasn't his. It belonged to a soldier who didn't know how to iron.

Helpful and dedicated -- that's just the way Tim Millsap was, his family and friends said Wednesday.

Millsap, 39, an Army first sergeant, died Monday from injuries he sustained in Taji, Iraq, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his vehicle.

Millsap, a Wichita native, is the first serviceman from Wichita to die while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was a combat engineer with Company A, 70th Engineer Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Armored Division. Services are set for Wednesday in Salina and Wichita.

Another Fort Riley soldier was killed in a separate incident Monday, according to a post spokeswoman. The Associated Press reported that family members said the soldier was Sgt. David Rice, 22, of Sioux City, Iowa.

Millsap was an ornery man with a dry wit, his family and friends said Wednesday.

One time, Millsap was shopping with his mother when he decided to play a trick on his sister. He hid behind the clothes racks and started rolling quarters across the floor. Sherry ran to pick them up.

"I thought I was finding money all over the place," she said, adding that no one could stay mad at her brother for very long.

Millsap was also a passionate athlete. He participated in baseball, track, football and wrestling at Wichita South High School -- but soccer was his favorite. He used to bike to soccer practice when his mother wouldn't drive him. He was twice named to The Eagle's All-City team.

"He was probably, in some respects, one of my most productive players that I ever coached," said Klaus Kollmai, Millsap's former soccer coach at South.

Millsap, who played halfback, had an unbelievable work ethic, Kollmai said.

"Unless he gave 100 percent, he was just never satisfied," Kollmai said.

He also made an impression on his neighbors.

Terri Bosley grew up in the house behind the Millsaps, and Tim Millsap was a friend of her older brother's. He was "the guy everybody in the neighborhood was in love with," she said.

After graduating from South in 1984, Millsap attended Kansas Newman College for a semester before enlisting in the Army in December.

After summer boot camp, Millsap married Alyne Lank, who graduated from South a year after him. Less than a week later, Tim Millsap left for Germany. His wife joined him there several months later.

She also followed her husband on assignments to Colorado, Hawaii, Missouri and Fort Riley.

While the couple lived in Junction City, Alyne worked in Salina. She got tired of driving back and forth and wanted to live in Salina.

Tim Millsap bought the Salina house his wife wanted.

"He was very good at humoring my every whim," she said Wednesday.

Millsap was also a good father, his family said. He loved fishing and hunting, and he took his daughter Deanna, 14, along on deer and bird hunts.

Actually, Henry said, Millsap took his daughter everywhere.

"Deanna was right there with him, whatever he was doing," she said.

Millsap had a similar dedication to the Army. He was often assigned to work with individuals as well as platoons to bring out the best in them, said Army Capt. Terry Alvarez, who worked with Millsap twice.

"He was dedicated to soldiers," Alvarez said. "He was very concerned about them, and he was committed to making sure they were taken care of."

Millsap, who was on his second tour of duty in Iraq, was ready to retire, his family said.

Some of the new jobs he considered included law enforcement, teaching, social work and coaching, friends and family said.

Alyne Millsap said her husband had only made one definitive decision.

"His number one to-do was to retire when he got home," she said.

"He thought his job was done."

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In memory of 1st Sgt. Tim Millsap