The names of two 1st Armored Division soldiers who died in separate incidents in Iraq this week have been released by the Department of Defense.

Sgt. David J. Almazan, 27, of Van Nuys, Calif., died Sunday of injuries suffered when a makeshift bomb exploded near his Humvee during combat operations in Hit.

Almazan was a combat medic in the 1st Battalion, 36th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Friedberg, Germany.

He is survived by his wife, who lives in Chino, Calif., and his parents, who live in Van Nuys.

Spc. Matthew E. Schneider, a member of the 141st Signal Battalion, based in Wiesbaden, Germany, died in Ramadi on Monday.

Schneider, 23, of Gorham, N.H., died in a noncombat-related incident that a Pentagon news release said is under investigation.

The network switching systems operator is the first soldier from the battalion to die in Iraq, according to Pentagon reports.

Schneider is survived by his parents. His mother lives in Lunenburg, Vt., and his father lives in Kittery, Maine.

At least 13 other Friedberg-based soldiers have died in Iraq this year. According to Pentagon reports, Almazan was the third soldier from his battalion killed in Iraq, and the second to die in Hit, which is in Iraq’s volatile Anbar province.

No information was available on memorial services for the soldiers.

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