By Gemma Q. Casas
Variety News Staff

THE U.S. soldier from Tinian who died in the Iraqi province of Iskandariya about 40 kilometers south of Baghdad on May 17 would have been a father for the third time, according to Military and Veterans Affairs Director Ruth Coleman.
Coleman said the wife of Pfc. Victor M. Fontanilla, 23, is pregnant with their third child.
“When we lose a service member from whatever branch in the military, it is a tragic lost. It hurts even more if it’s close to home,” said Coleman.
“My heart goes out to the family and the wife, especially,” she added.
Fontanilla died on May 17 along with Sgt. 1st Class Jesse B. Albrecht, 31, of Hager City, Wisconsin, and Spc. Coty J. Phelps, 20, of Kingman, Arizona, of wounds they suffered when an improvised explosive device detonated near their vehicle.
The U.S. Department of Defense said the three were assigned to the 725th Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Richardson, Alaska.
Fontanilla is the sixth soldier from the Northern Marianas to die in Iraq since 2003.
Coleman said Fontanilla will be laid to rest in Stockton, California, where his family is currently based.
There are more than 300 men and women from the Northern Marianas serving in all branches of the U.S. military, including the Coast Guard, Coleman said.