The Department of Defense announced today the death of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. They died Aug. 31 in Shuyene Sufia, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device. The soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 5th Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Wash.

Killed were:

Spc. Jonathan D. Welch, 19, of Yorba Linda, Calif.

Pfc. Jordan M. Brochu, 20, of Cumberland, Maine.

For more information media may contact the Fort Lewis public affairs office at (253) 967-0152, (253) 967-0147 or after hours at (253) 967-0015 (ask for the public affairs officer on call).