Army Staff Sgt. Casey J. Grochowiak

Died August 30, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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34, of Lompoc, Calif.; assigned to 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Aug. 30 in Malajat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.

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2 Carson soldiers identified as IED victims

The Associated Press

The Defense Department on Sept. 2 identified two soldiers who were killed in a bomb blast in Afghanistan on Aug. 30.

Second Lt. Mark Noziska, 24, of Papillion, Neb., and Staff Sgt. Casey Grochowiak, 34, of Lompoc, Calif., died in Malajat, Afghanistan, after an improvised explosive device went off, officials said.

Noziska’s father, Phil Noziska, said his son had planned to make a career out of the Army and had been in Afganistan less than a month.

His mother, Dee Noziska, said she is proud Mark Noziska wanted to serve his country, but he will be missed.

Noziska and Grochowiak were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, out of Fort Carson, Colo.