2 dead, 2 injured after bomb hits 24th MEU

[unhappycamper]

2 dead, 2 injured after bomb hits 24th MEU
Staff report
Posted : Thursday Apr 17, 2008 14:14:47 EDT

Two Marines were killed and two wounded in Afghanistan on Wednesday when a roadside bomb exploded near a 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit convoy, according to media reports.

The Defense Department has not confirmed the deaths. The Athens Banner-Herald in Georgia and The Morning News in Arkansas reported that 1st Sgt. Luke Mercandante, 35, and Kyle Wilks, 24, were killed, based on interviews with family members notified by the Marine Corps.

The New York Times and Baltimore Sun, both with correspondents in Afghanistan, also reported the deaths on their Web sites Thursday. They did not confirm the names of the casualties.

The Marines are the first assigned to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit to be killed since the unit deployed in March to Kandahar province, to calm insurgent violence in the southern portion of Afghanistan.

Bridget Clark, Mercandante’s sister, told the Banner-Herald that her brother said in an e-mail recently how proud he was to be a part of the Afghanistan mission.


Rest of article at: http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2008/04/marine_convoydeaths_041708/