R.I.P. - Spc. Samuel T. Watts

DOD Identifies Army Casualty

            The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            Spc. Samuel T. Watts, 20, of Wheaton, Ill., died May 19, in Bethesda, Md., of wounds sustained April 25, in Zharay, Afghanistan, when he was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device.

            Watts was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.

            For more information related to this release, the media may contact the 82nd Airborne Division public affairs at 910-432-0661/0662 or 910-587-0217.

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from Chicago Tribune:

By Melissa Jenco

Even as a freshman at Wheaton North High School, Samuel Watts had his heart set on joining the military.

"He just wanted to serve," said his guidance counselor, Wendy Biggs. "He was just really proud of our country. He just wanted to help people, and that was the way he felt he could best help."

Army Spc. Samuel Watts, 20, died Saturday, May 19, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland, nearly a month after being injured by an improvised explosive device during his first deployment to Afghanistan, according to the public affairs office of the 82nd Airborne Division.
"Sam was a guy you wanted on your team; he was a fighter," Capt. Mike Kelvington, Bravo Company commander with the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment said in a written statement. "From being an expert on the M240 range with his assigned weapon to defying the odds when all the doctors said he shouldn't have lived this long, he fought all the way to the end."

Spc. Watts' work ethic and character were evident to Scott Lilly when Lilly coached the teen on the Wheaton North freshman volleyball team.

"Nothing ever bothered him," Lilly said. "He was just great to have around because everybody seemed to like him."

Later in high school, Spc. Watts attended the fire science and paramedic program at the Technology Center of DuPage, according to Biggs.

He joined the Army in July 2010, shortly after high school graduation, and attended airborne school at Fort Benning, Ga., before being deployed to Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne Division
In the Zhari district of Kandahar province, Spc. Watts was injured April 25 by an IED blast, the Army said.

Spc. Watts was awarded a Bronze Star and the Purple Heart, among other ribbons and badges, for his service, the Army said.

"This was a kid who was going to serve his country, and no matter what he did, whether paramedic or fireman, he was going to be a good adult and he would have been a good neighbor — somebody you wanted to have in your community," Biggs said.

Information on family and services was not immediately available.

Posted in: 508th Infantry Regiment (United States), 82nd Airborne Division, Afghanistan, fallen heros, Fort Benning, Fort Bragg