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Alabama loses a hero

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the fallen:

Montgomery soldier killed Thursday in Afghanistan

A soldier from Montgomery was one of two killed in Afghanistan on Thursday.

The Department of Defense Saturday identified the two casualties as Chief Warrant Officer James Carter, 42, of Montgomery and 20-year-old Pfc. Andre D. McNair, Jr., 20, of Fort Pierce, Fla.

They died on June 5 at Kandahar Army Airfield, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained when the Kiowa helicopter they were in went down during a test flight.

The incident is under investigation.

They were assigned to the 96th Aviation Support Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

Bama Guard unit to deploy to Afghanistan

A large Alabama Army National Guard unit will be deploying to Afghanistan next year. The 877th Engineer Battalion spent nearly a year in Iraq from 2003-2004, and with several hundred members, was one of the largest state National Guard units to deploy to Iraq. It will be the largest Alabama Guard unit to serve in Afghanistan, and will be the second Army Guard unit from Alabama to have a second tour of duty in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Courtesy of The Birmingham News:

While in Iraq, the 877th was based in the northern city of Mosul, and its mission included building military facilities, repairing schools and improving roads in Mosul and outlying areas.

Lt. Col. David Ward, the battalion commander, said the 877th should have similar tasks in Afghanistan.

“We’ve got a challenging mission,” said Ward, who added that soldiers from other state Guard units will be working with his battalion.

In contrast to Iraq, where thousands of Alabama Army Guard soldiers have served in more than 40 units, far fewer Alabama Guard soldiers in a handful of units have served in Afghanistan since 9/11.