Army Sgt. 1st Class Carlos M. Santos-Silva

Died March 22, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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32, of Clarksville, Tenn.; assigned to 2nd Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died March 22 at COP Nolen, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his vehicle with an IED.

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Soldier was on his fourth deployment

The Associated Press

Carlos Santos-Silva “treated his soldiers like sons,” his father said.

The elder Santos-Silva, Francisco, would know: He was a soldier himself and served for three years at Fort Campbell with Carlos and another son. Francisco Santos-Silva retired in 2000 but enjoyed watching his son blossom as a military man.

“I’ll always remember him as a better soldier than I was,” the father said. “I looked forward to seeing him finish his career and achieve levels higher than I did.”

Santos-Silva, 32, of Clarksville, Tenn., was killed by a roadside bomb March 22 in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The paratrooper was assigned to Fort Bragg.

Santos-Silva was on his fourth deployment, allowing him to provide valuable insight to his younger soldiers. The platoon sergeant had previously been awarded the Purple Heart and had twice received the Bronze Star.

“He cared deeply about his paratroopers, and they cared deeply about him,” said 1st Lt. Matthew Jarmon, one of Santos-Silva’s superiors. “His men routinely looked to him for leadership guidance, which he readily gave.”

Among the survivors are Santos-Silva’s wife, Kristen, 9-year-old son, Cameron, and his mother.