82nd Airborne Division Soldier from Clarksville killed in Afghanistan

Fort Bragg, NC – Three Fort Bragg paratroopers were killed Monday in Afghanistan when enemy forces attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.

The three latest casualties are Sgt. Jacob M. Schwallie, 22, of Clarksville, TN, Spc. Chase S. Marta, 24, of Chico, CA, and Pfc. Dustin D. Gross, 19, of Jeffersonville, KY.

Schwallie served as an assistant team leader with the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team. Marta and Gross were both assigned as scouts with the 1st Brigade Combat Team.

The soldiers were on a patrol in southern Ghazni Province when their Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, the 82nd Airborne Division said in a news release. They died of blast-related injuries, the release said, and were pronounced dead upon arrival at Forward Operating Base Sharana.

Each paratrooper was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal, the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

The paratroopers were assigned to Company C of the 3rd Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.