2 APG Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan

Two U.S. Army soldiers assigned to Aberdeen Proving Ground died when enemy forces attacked their unit in Afghanistan, the Defense Department announced Wednesday.

Staff Sgt. Chauncy R. Mays, 25, of Cookville, TX, and Spc. Christopher G. Stark, 22, of Monett, MO, died Monday after an improvised explosive device struck their unit in Wardak province, the Defense Department said.

Mays and Stark were assigned to the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 20th Support Command at APG.

The number of American troops in Afghanistan killed by IEDS jumped 60 percent last year to 268 , The Washington Post reported in late January. That’s about the same number who died in IED attacks the previous three years combined, the newspaper said.