Army Spc. Derek T. Simonetta and his fellow soldiers were fatally wounded when insurgents attacked their unit in Kandahar province using an improvised explosive device, department officials said.
The other soldiers killed were Cpl. Sean Collins, 25, of Ewa Beach, Hawaii; Cpl. Willie McLawhorn Jr., of Conway, N.C.; Spc. Patrick Deans, 22, of Orlando, Fla.; Spc. Kenneth Necochea Jr., 21, of San Diego; and Spc. Jorge Villacis, 24, of Sunrise, Fla.
All six were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom and were assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
