Army Spc. Daniel F. Mehringer

Died April 27, 2007 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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20, of Morgantown, W.Va.; assigned to Division Special Troops Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.; died April 27 in Bagram, Afghanistan, of injuries sustained in a non-combat-related incident. His death is under investigation.

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W.Va. soldier, 3 others die in Iraq, Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A West Virginia soldier based at Fort Bragg, N.C., died last week in Afghanistan. the military said April 30.

Spc. Daniel F. Mehringer, 20, of Morgantown, W.Va., died in a non-combat incident April 27 at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Mehringer was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division’s Special Troops Battalion out of Fort Bragg. His death is under investigation, the military said.

He was one of two soldiers based at Fort Bragg who died last week in Afghanistan. The military said two Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based Marines were killed in Iraq.

Mehringer, who joined the Army in September 2004, had been with the 82nd Airborne Division since March 2005, according to the division.

“Spc. Mehringer loved the adrenaline rush of jumping out of an aircraft, and he was proud to be an 82nd Airborne Division paratrooper,” said Sgt. 1st Class Rahn Bass, Mehringer’s supervisor. “He was the consummate professional and was looking forward to serving his country for many years to come.”

Mehringer is survived by his wife, Marialies Renee, and his parents.

Staff Sgt. Michael D. Thomas, 34, of Seffner, Fla., was killed in combat April 27 in Hirat province, Afghanistan. His unit encountered enemy forces using rocket-propelled grenades and small arms, according to the Department of Defense. Thomas was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group, from Fort Bragg.

In Iraq, Sgt. Peter Woodall, 25, of Sarasota, Fla., died April 27 during combat in Anbar province. Woodall was assigned to 8th Engineer Support Battalion, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, II Marine Expeditionary Force, out of Camp Lejeune, the military said.

Camp Lejeune’s other casualty reported April 30 was Cpl. Christopher Degiovine, 25, of Lone Tree, Colo. He died April 26 during combat in Anbar province. He was assigned to 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, the military said.

Thomas, who joined the Army as a military police officer in 1991, had been in Afghanistan for about two months, the military said. He completed his Special Forces training in 2006.

Thomas is survived by his wife, two children, mother and stepfather.

Additional information about Woodall and Degiovine wasn’t immediately available April 30.