The Department of Defense announced today the death of 1st Lt. Jacob N. Fritz, 25, of Verdon, Neb., who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. He died Jan 20 in Karbala, Iraq. He was abducted by insurgents and was later shot and killed. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 377th Parachute Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska. He had been leading a unit of more than 30 soldiers in Iraq since October One of Fritz's younger brothers followed him to West Point as a member of the class of 2008. He is survived by his parents, Lyle and Noala, and brothers Daniel and Ethan. Following his death, he was posthumously awarded the POW medal.   Nebraska News article, containing a letter from 1LT Fritz