The Army on Wednesday identified the soldier killed in a Tuesday improvised explosive device blast in Afghanistan as SSgt. Matthew V. Thompson, 28, of Irvine, Calif. Thompson was assigned to Company A, 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces group (Airborne) at JB Lewis-McChord, Wash. He was killed and another soldier injured when an IED hit their patrol near Lashkar Gar, NATO announced. Six more Afghan soldiers were injured in the blast. This was Thompson’s first deployment to Afghanistan; he had previously deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the Army announced. Thompson was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor and the Purple Heart.
F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard have deployed to Puerto Rico in recent days, continuing a major buildup of U.S. Air Force assets in Latin America aimed at combating drug trafficking and pressuring the regime of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro.
