2 Utahns who escaped blast return to duty

Two Utah soldiers were back to work Thursday near Ramadi, Iraq, clearing roads of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), after surviving a blast earlier this week.

Spc. Daniel Baerga, 21, of Bountiful, and Spc. Paul Laplant, 39, of Ogden, received minor injuries Monday when an IED exploded near their vehicles, according to Army Reserve spokesman Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Coon.

"This is a very dangerous mission," Coon said Thursday in a telephone interview from Seattle. "They're doing very, very important work."

Last month IEDs claimed the lives of 51 U.S. military members and one coalition soldier, the second highest one-month death toll by IEDs since the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, according to the Web site www.icasualties.org.

Coon said that on Monday Laplant was in a vehicle as a gunner, while Baerga was in another vehicle outfitted with a robotic arm that aids in finding IEDs before they explode.

Only Laplant and Baerga were injured in the blast. Their families were notified before news of their injuries was released to the public.

On Sunday, Coon added, two soldiers from Idaho with the same unit were injured doing similar work. Coon was not able to say exactly what the soldiers' injuries were in either incident.

The two Utah soldiers are part of the 321st Engineer Battalion, based in Boise, Idaho. Coon said around 600 soldiers from about six states make up the battalion, which includes about 50 soldiers from Utah.

The main mission of the 321st is to clear roads in Iraq's volatile Al Anbar province of IEDs and to guard convoys, Coon said.

Since March 2003, the Anbar province has claimed 1,028 U.S. and coalition lives — the next-highest casualty rate is in Baghdad, with 737, according to www.icasualties.org.

The Utah soldiers with the 321st arrived in Iraq in September and are expected to remain there for a year. Because of their injuries, the two injured soldiers may be eligible for Purple Heart awards, Coon said.

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E-mail: sspeckman@desnews.com