PARKLAND, Wis. - Two 21-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin who followed their grandfathers into mil... Two Wisconsin natives kill

PARKLAND, Wis. - Two 21-year-old soldiers from Wisconsin who followed their grandfathers into military service were killed in Iraq in roadside explosions, family members said Monday.

Army Cpl. Kenneth Cross of Parkland and Army Pfc. Shaun Novak of Two Rivers each died on Sunday. The Department of Defense had no information on either of the deaths.

"He was a fun kid - always smiling, laughing, joking - you never knew what he was going to do," father Michael Cross told the Daily Telegram in Superior.

Mother Elizabeth Cross said her son dropped out of high school and earned his general education diploma because he wanted to go right into the service.

Kenneth Cross met his wife, Heidi of Steilacoom, Wash., through an online dating service, and the two were friends for a time before deciding to get married quickly after they began dating.

"He was always doing something goofy to make me laugh even on the bad days," Heidi Cross said. "He treated me like a queen and an angel. I don't think we ever had a bad moment."

"People say I'm pretty lucky to have talked to him right before it happened," she said, grateful she was able to tell him she loved him "I don't know how many times."

"I told when he went over there it took me nine months to put him together perfectly, and there better not be any more holes in him than when he left," the mother said. "He didn't listen."

Novak attended the University of Wisconsin-Manitowoc County Center for a year after graduating from Two Rivers High School. He had planned to study accounting or marketing after his discharge, his aunt said.

Novak is survived by his father, Randy, a Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department deputy; his mother, Brenda, an employee of the Manitowoc County Human Services Department; and a brother, Danny, 15, who enters Two Rivers High School this fall, Halverson said.

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