NORTH PLATTE, Neb. — A Nebraska Army National Guard soldier was killed in northern Iraq when a roadside bomb exploded near her convoy in Samarra, military officials said Monday.

Sgt. 1st Class Linda Tarango-Griess, 33, of Sutton was killed Sunday, Maj. Gen. Roger Lempke said. Also killed in the attack was Sgt. Jeremy Fischer, 26, of Lincoln.

“Our prayers go out to their families,” Lempke said.

Tarango-Griess and Fischer were members of the 267th Ordnance Company, based in Lincoln, with detachments in Gering and Hastings. The company was sent to Iraq in February from Fort Riley, Kan.

Tarango-Griess’ parents, Augustin and Juanita Tarango of North Platte, said they last talked to their daughter at 1 a.m. Sunday. About 18 hours later, Army Reserve officials arrived at their home to deliver the news of Tarango-Griess’ death.

Tarango-Griess’ sister, Vicky Tarango-Smith, said her sister was looking forward to coming home on leave in two weeks.

Military officials in Iraq said a roadside bomb exploded as a U.S. patrol passed in Samarra, a hotbed of violence 60 miles north of Baghdad, killing two soldiers and wounding three others.

Tarango-Griess and Fischer bring to 17 the number of U.S. service members with connections to Nebraska to have died since the beginning of military operations following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In addition to her parents, Tarango-Griess is survived by her husband, Nebraska Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Douglas L. Griess.

“Hearing that she’s gone is kind of hard to believe right now,” he said.

Griess also spoke with his wife hours before her death.

“I e-mailed her and told her to contact me. She called me right after midnight,” he said. “We talked about her getting some leave time.”

Griess had recently received a pass to go home from his military training. He said he wanted to spend time with his wife, who had been serving in Iraq since February.

“Being that we were both in the military, we’ve been separated for a period of time,” he said. “You learn how to deal with it. After it had been four or five months, it starts to take a toll.”

The couple met in 1991 while both serving in a National Guard Unit in York. They had been married 10 years and had no children.

“She really loved her military career,” he said.