According to the DoD press release, two soldiers were killed on August 2nd when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) detonated near their convoy in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The two soldiers were part of Operation Freedom’s Sentinel and assigned to 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg. The two soldiers have been identified as:

Sgt. Jonathon Michael Hunter, 23, of Columbus, Indiana.

Spc. Christopher Michael Harris, 25, of Jackson Springs, North Carolina.

The 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division released this statement:

With a heavy heart we announce that two 82nd Airborne Division Paratroopers were killed in Afghanistan on 02 August when their patrol was struck by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device in vicinity of Kandahar.

Specialist Christopher M. Harris, 25, of Jackson Springs, N.C., and Sergeant Jonathon M. Hunter, 23, of Columbus, Ind., were infantrymen assigned to 2nd Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

“The entire Devil Brigade is deeply saddened by the loss of two beloved team members,” said Col. Toby Magsig, commander of 1st Brigade Combat Team, the “Devil” Brigade.

“Spc. Christopher Harris was an extraordinary young man and a phenomenal Paratrooper,” Col. Magsig continued. “He regularly displayed the type of courage, discipline, and empathy that the Nation expects from its warriors.”