Army Sgt. Edelman L. Hernandez

Died April 11, 2007 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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23, of Hyattsville, Md.; assigned to the 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.; died April 11 in Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, while on combat patrol. The incident is under investigation.

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Fort Drum soldier drowns in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT DRUM, N.Y. — A 10th Mountain Division soldier drowned when he fell into the Korengal River in Afghanistan during a combat patrol, Army officials said Monday.

Sgt. Edelman L. Hernandez, 23, of Hyattsville, Md., was on a foot patrol last Wednesday near Babyal Village when he lost his footing and fell into a deep section of the river. Other members of his unit immediately began a search to locate Hernandez. His body was recovered Thursday morning at some distance downstream, according to a release from Fort Drum.

Military officials announced Hernandez’s death last week, but provided no details.

An infantryman assigned to Company A, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, Hernandez enlisted in the Army in April 2003. He completed basic and advanced individual training at Fort Benning in Georgia.

Hernandez also served a tour of duty in Iraq from December 2003 to September 2004.

He is survived by his parents and two younger brothers.