Military officials say three Fort Hood soldiers have died in Afghanistan from injuries sustained when an improvised explosive device was detonated.
A Defense Department statement issued Thursday said Spc. Kurt W. Kern, of McAllen; Pfc. Justin M. Whitmire of Easley, S.C.; and Sgt. Noah M. Korte of Lake Elsinore, Calif.; died Tuesday in Paktia, Afghanistan.
All three were assigned to the 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade based at Fort Hood in September.
Twenty-four-year-old Kern, who joined the military in September 2009 while 29-year-old Korte enlisted in May 2003, were both military police deployed to Afghanistan earlier this month. Korte had also served several stints in Iraq.
Twenty-year-old Whitmire, who joined the military as a health care specialist in September 2010, had been in Afghanistan since July.
