Pfc. Joseph Anzack, Jr’s Body Found in the Euphrates River in Iraq
We are saddened to report that the body of missing Fort Drum soldier, Joseph Anzack 
Jr was found yesterday in the Euphrates River in Iraq. Anzack was one of the soldiers missing in Iraq who was kidnapped two weeks ago while patrolling near Baghdad. God bless and thank you for your service and ultimate sacrifice to our country.
The military says the body found in the Euphrates River yesterday in Iraq is one of the Fort Drum soldiers who was kidnapped about two weeks ago.
Joseph Anzack, Jr., 20, and two other soldiers have been missing since they were ambushed while patrolling near Baghdad. A group linked to al-Qaida is taking the credit for that ambush. The military is doing a DNA test to confirm that the body is, in fact, Anzack’s.
Initial reports also said a second body had been found near the same location. But the search is still ongoing for the other two soldiers.
Joseph Anzack Remembered by High School Friends
TORRANCE (AP) — Schoolmates remembered Pfc. Joseph Anzack Jr. as a gentle jock and turned their school into a makeshift memorial after learning Army officials had confirmed the 20-year-old’s body was found during an exhaustive search for him and two other soldiers ambushed in Iraq. Friends at South High School, where Anzack graduated just two years ago, observed a moment of silence Thursday and described him as a “pumped up” athlete who made them laugh and comforted them when they needed it.
”You’d be sad and sitting there by yourself, and he’d come up to you and just talk to you, and say, ‘Hey, how’s your day? Are you OK?”’ childhood friend Erika Esquivel said.
The school’s front steps became a shrine of flowers, flags and balloons, marked with a sign reading: “You’re our HERO.” The soldier’s Web page was also flooded with condolences.