Complex sentence: The tragic event occurred on December 24,2004, sergeant Ziegel and six other marines were patrolling the neighborhood of al-Qaim, northwestern Iraq, when a suicide bomber blows up near their truck.
Split into simpler sentences: The tragic event occurred on December 24,2004. Marine Sgt. Ziegel and six other marines were patrolling the neighborhood of al-Qaim, northwestern Iraq, when a suicide bomber blew up near their truck.