Wisconsin soldier dies while fighting in Afghanistan
ORFORDVILLE- A 21-year-old soldier from Orfordville, WI, a village 15 miles west of Janesville, has died while fighting in Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense announced that Spc. Benjamin H. Neal died on Wednesday while fighting in Kandahar province, Afghanistan "when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device."
Neal was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C., according to a press release.
According to the Associated Press, Neal was a 2009 graduate of Parkview Senior High School in Orfordville, about 10 miles west of Janesville, and was a high school wrestler.
District Administrator Steve Lutzke says Neal "just felt a need to serve" and went into the military after graduating. Lutzke remembers Neal for his "wonderful personality" and his strong faith. He says Neal "took his wrestling seriously" and was the team leader.
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