DOD Identifies Army Casualties
July 20, 2011

The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

They died July 18 in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked their convoy with an improvised explosive device. They were assigned to the 131st Transportation Company, 213th Area Support Group, Williamstown, Pa.

Killed were:

Staff Sgt. Kenneth R. Vangiesen, 30, of Erie, Pa.

Sgt. Edward W. Koehler, 47, of Lebanon, Pa.

Staff Sgt. Brian K. Mowery, 49, of Halifax, Pa.

For more information media may contact the Pennsylvania Army National Guard public affairs office at 717-861-8468.

UPDATE: July 22, 2011 — Sgt. Mowery was posthumously promoted to staff sergeant.