ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson officials have identified the four soldiers assigned to the base who were killed in Afghanistan’s Laghman Province by an improvised explosive device last weekend.
Sgt. Joshua David Powell of Quitman,Texas, 28; Cpl. Christopher Roger Bell of Goldman, Miss., 21; Spc. Devin Arielle Snyder of Cohocton, N.Y., 20; and Pfc. Robert Lee Voakes Jr. of L'anse, Mich., 21, died during a mounted patrol Saturday.
Powell's family spoke with the local paper in Quitman, calling him "the life of the party."
Alyssa Englert, a friend of Snyder's, said everyone called Snyder "Twiggy," because of her skinny arms -- but she was a real fighter.
"It's sad the way she's gone," Englert said as she cried, "but she did it in the right manner and she's my hero for that."
The four were assigned to the 164th Military Police Company, 793rd Military Police Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade. The 164th deployed to Afghanistan in late March for a one-year tour in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The soldiers’ next of kin have been notified.
