R.I.P. - Sgt. Christopher J. Birdwell, Spc. Mabry J. Anders

DOD Identifies Army Casualties
            The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

            They died Aug. 27, in Kalagush, Afghanistan, of injuries suffered from enemy, small arms fire.  They were assigned to the 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

            Killed were:

            Sgt. Christopher J. Birdwell, 25, of Windsor, Colo., and

            Spc. Mabry J. Anders, 21, of Baker City, Ore.

            For more information related to this release, media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office during normal business hours at 719-526-7525 or 719-526-4143; after normal business hours, call 719-526-5500.

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from  greeleytribune:

Windsor High School graduate and Army Sgt. Christopher Birdwell, who planned to make the Army a career, was killed by enemy fire on his third tour in Afghanistan.

“He could make anyone smile,” Birdwell’s mother, Pam Birdwell, told The Denver Post on Tuesday. “There was just something about him that made him able to bring a smile to anyone’s face.”

Birdwell, 25, was one of two Fort Carson soldiers killed Monday in Kalagush, Afghanistan, the Defense Department said Tuesday. Birdwell was assigned to the 4th Special Troops Battalion of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division. Spc. Mabry Anders, 21, of Baker City, Ore., also was killed.

While the circumstances surrounding his death are still under investigation, The Associated Press reported two soldiers were killed Monday when an Afghan soldier turned his weapon on international allies in eastern Afghanistan. NATO said in a statement that international troops returned fire and killed the attacker.

read more: http://www.greeleytribune.com/news/2375228-113/birdwell-windsor-killed-army

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 from oregonlive:
 by Richard Cockle

BAKER CITY -- Mabry James Anders, who died Monday of injuries from enemy small arms fire in Kalagush, Afghanistan, was a "bubbly, fun kid," a Baker High School administrator recalled Tuesday.

Spc. Anders, 21, the son of Troy and Genevieve Woydziak of Baker City, joined the Army on Jan. 5, 2010, and was deployed to Afghanistan this past March 10. He worked as a wheeled vehicle mechanic.

"He was a very likeable, social kid. He had an upbeat personality," said Baker High Assistant Principal Gundula O'Neal.

Anders' parents said they were proud of their son and his service to the nation. "Mabry always gave his all, and in the end he gave all he had," they said in a prepared statement. "We will miss his fearless spirit and love of life."

Anders was the 155th member of the military from Oregon and Southwest Washington to die in the wars in Afghanistan and Iran.

Born in Yuma, Ariz., on July 22, 1991, Anders will be posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Combat Action Badge and NATO Medal, in addition to the National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and other awards, the army reported.

He left Baker High School before his senior year ended and transferred to the identically named Baker High School in the San Bernadino County town of Baker, Calif.

Also killed in the action that took Anders' life was Sgt. Christopher J. Birdwell, 25, of Windsor, Colo. They were assigned to the 4th Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division at Fort Carson, Colo.

Posted in: 4th Infantry Division (United States), Afghanistan, Brigade Combat Team, fallen heros, Fort Carson, Operation Enduring Freedom