A Stryker sergeant from Joint Base Lewis-McChord died in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, the Pentagon announced Tuesday.
The cause of Sgt. David Williams’ death near Kandahar is under investigation, the Army said.
Williams, 24, was serving on his first combat deployment. He was assigned to Lewis-McChord’s 2nd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division at a base in Kandahar Province.
His death marks the 23rd death in Afghanistan for Lewis-McChord this year. About 10,000 soldiers from the base south of Tacoma are serving there this summer, with most fighting in the Taliban heartland of Kandahar.
Williams, of Frederick, Md., joined the Army in 2008 and had served in South Korea as a human resource specialist at Camp Red Cloud.
He moved to Lewis-McChord in February 2011, joining the headquarters company of the 2nd Brigade’s 2nd Battalion, 1st Infantry Regiment. The brigade deployed in April and May. It is expected home from its nine-month mission in early 2013.
Seven other soldiers from the 2nd Brigade have died in Afghanistan on this deployment.
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