By Gina Cavallaro -The remains of a Pennsylvania soldier previously listed by the Army as “duty status whereabouts unknown” have been positively identified by the Armed Forces Medical Examiner, the Defense Department announced Tuesday in a press release.
Staff Sgt. William D. Vile, 27, of Philadelphia, who was assigned to a military transition team in Afghanistan, died of wounds suffered in an attack May 1 when insurgents attacked his unit using direct fire and rocket-propelled grenades, officials said.
The attack took place on Combat Outpost Konar in the village of Nishagam, Konar province. An ammunition bunker on the COP ignited during the attack and is believed to have caused some of the casualties, officials said.
One of the soldiers was badly burned and could not be positively identified immediately, leading to the “duty status whereabouts unknown” designation, officials said. The medical examiner’s office confirmed his identity using his fingerprints, officials said.
Sgt. James D. Pirtle, 21, of Colorado Springs, Colo., and Spc. Ryan C. King, 22, of Dallas, Ga. — both were assigned to Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, of Fort Hood, Texas — also died in the attack.
Vile was assigned to 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry Division, from Fort Riley, Kan.
Soldiers and service members from other branches of the military are trained at Fort Riley in a 60-day course to advise, teach, mentor and coach their counterparts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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