by Dylan Smith
A Tucson soldier, Army
Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Friday.
Sparks, 29, and another soldier were killed in Pul-E Alam, Afghanistan, when an insurgent wearing a suicide vest detonated the bomb near their patrol.
The soldiers were serving with the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team. The Schweinfurt, Germany-based unit was deployed in Logar province in eastern Afghanistan.
Including Sparks' death, 52 troops with Southern Arizona connections have been killed in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars—20 in Afghanistan since the 2001 invasion of that country.
The other soldier who was killed in the incident was identified as Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, of Lakehurst, N.J.
Both men were members of Anvil Troop, according to the 1st Squadron's Facebook page.
Sparks "touched the lives of many soldiers during his time in Anvil. He is remembered as a contagious optimist who was always in good spirits. Someone that could relate to soldiers on a personal level and helped guide them through life. Orion was an outstanding trainer of soldiers and a leader who was not afraid to get his hands dirty and lead from the front. A true NCO to the end. He was a cornerstone in Anvil Troop," said a statement posted by Lt. Col. Whit Wright, the 173rd Airborne's commander.
"Several other paratroopers were wounded, one severely, in the same incident," Wright wrote.
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from app.com:
By Charles Webster
A soldier from the Buffalo, N.Y. area originally reported to be from Lakehurst was killed Wednesday in Afghanistan, according to an announcement Friday by the Department of Defense.
Sgt. Jonathan A. Gollnitz, 28, of Fedonia, N.Y. and Staff Sgt. Orion N. Sparks, 29, of Tucson, Ariz. died Wednesday in Pul-E Alam, Afghanistan of injuries suffered when an insurgent wearing a suicide vest detonated the device near their patrol. The two soldiers were assigned to the 1st Squadron, 91st Cavalry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Schweinfurt, Germany, according to the department announcement.
The department listed Gollnitz’s hometown as Lakehurst but he was actually a Fredonia, N.Y. native, according to his Aunt Kimberly Gollnitz.
Gollnitz was stationed, at one time, at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station, now Joint Base: McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, prior to his enlistment in the U.S. Army more than three years ago, she explained.
Lt. Col. Whit Wright, commander of the airborne cavalry unit, characterized the deaths in a prepared statement as the tragic loss of two talented, young leaders.
“Sgt. Gollnitz quickly filled a gap in the platoon's junior leadership. Bringing a quiet professionalism to his work, he was able to build a strong team of soldiers that trusted and respected him. Jonathan was also able to communicate with soldiers on a personal level and would often speak of his son and his plans for the future,”
Several other paratroopers were wounded, one severely, in the same incident, Wright added.
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