Army Staff Sgt. Michael P. Cardenaz

Died February 20, 2010 Serving During Operation Enduring Freedom

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29, of Corona, Calif.; assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.; died Feb. 20 in Chapa Dara, Afghanistan, when enemy forces attacked his unit with rocket-propelled grenades.

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2 Fort Carson soldiers die in Afghanistan

The Associated Press

FORT CARSON, Colo. — The Defense Department says two soldiers from Fort Carson have died in Afghanistan.

Staff Sgt. Michael David P. Cardenaz of Corona, Calif. was killed Saturday when his unit was attacked with rocket-propelled grenades.

Twenty-seven-year-old Pfc. J.R. Salvacion died Sunday of wounds he suffered in an attack with an improvised explosive device. He was from Ewa Beach, Hawaii.

Both were serving in units within the 4th Brigade Combat Team. Their deaths bring the total of Fort Carson soldiers killed in either Iraq or Afghanistan to 300.

Cardenaz was 29 and deployed to Afghanistan in June. He previously served two deployments in Iraq and two in the Balkans. His decorations include the Soldier's Medal, the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal for Valor.