Schofield's war casualty identified

Advertiser Staff

A Schofield Barracks soldier killed Monday in fighting in southeastern Afghanistan was identified by his family yesterday as Wesley Wells, 21, of Libertyville, Ill., according to KHNL TV.

Wells was married and a member of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry "Wolfhounds," based out of a former Soviet airfield at a "forward operating base" in Orgun-E near the Pakistan border.

His family in Libertyville, a suburb of Chicago, released a statement yesterday saying they are proud of his service in the military.

"We all knew that it was a dangerous place, and we all prayed for his safe return," the statement said. "This was not to be. Wesley paid the ultimate price while serving his country."

Wells was the fourth soldier from Schofield's 25th Infantry Division (Light) to be killed in Afghanistan since about 5,500 of them deployed on a yearlong mission in March and April.

The infantryman, a vehicle gunner on a mounted patrol, died when his vehicle came under enemy fire, the Army said.

He was one of three U.S. service members killed Monday in the restive Paktika province of southeastern Afghanistan.

In Monday's fighting, two other soldiers were slightly wounded and six Afghan government troops were evacuated to a U.S. base for treatment.

The latest deaths came amid a flurry of attacks on American troops across the south and east of the country, where Taliban-led insurgents are most active.