The Pentagon announced late Monday that SrA. Bradley R. Smith, 24, of Troy, Ill., died Jan. 3 near Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained while supporting combat operations. He was assigned to the 10th Air Support Operations Squadron, a USAF Tactical Air Control Party unit stationed at Ft. Riley, Kan., to support elements of the Army’s 1st Infantry Division.
The incoming head of the 7th Air Force will face an intense mission while relying on 4th-generation fighters to stave off looming threats from North Korea and China.