War claims lives of two Vermonters

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The war in Iraq has claimed the lives of two Vermonters. Erik Halvorsen of Bennington and Mark Evnin of South Burlington are the first Vermonters to die in the war in Iraq.

Halvorsen was killed Wednesday when the Black Hawk helicopter he was flying crashed 50 miles south of Baghdad. The 40-year old Army pilot was a career soldier who enlisted in 1986 after graduating from the University of Hartford. Halvorsen served in the Balkans and in the 1991 Gulf War. He was a 1981 graduate of Mount Anthony Union High School in Bennington. Halvorsen’s mother Dorothy told the Bennington Banner that her son was aware of the danger he was facing. She said he put his papers and personal effects in order before the war began. She said her son was last home during Christmas and spent the holiday skiing.

Mark Evnin was a member of the South Burlington High School class of 2000. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps First Expedition Force in Iraq. Flags were lowered to half-staff in the South Burlington School District Friday. The high school has posted Evnin’s class and marine photos on its website.

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