SPC. Kyle Ka Eo Fernandez
Two Schofield Barracks soldiers were killed in Afghanistan Thursday (14 October) when their Humvee struck a mine, a Honolulu relative of one of the soldiers said yesterday. The Army yesterday said Spc. Kyle K. Fernandez, 26, of Pearl City, and Staff Sgt. Brian S. Hobbs, 31, of Mesa, Ariz., were killed in the town of Miam Do. Fernandez's sister-in-law, Kristi Florita-Gouveia, said the family was told that five soldiers were in the Humvee on a routine patrol when it hit a mine. The attack happened Thursday in Uruzgan province, northwest of Deh Rawood, where a U.S. military base is located. Maj. Mark McCann, a U.S. military spokesman in Kabul, said in a brief statement that an improvised explosive device - a homemade bomb - was to blame.
Uruzgan Gov. Jan Mohammed Khan reported the attack yesterday. He said that a remote-controlled mine detonated under an American Humvee on patrol in the Kishi area of the province's Charcheno district on Thursday afternoon. In response, a U.S. helicopter opened fire on the suspected attacker as he fled on a motorbike, killing him, the governor said. McCann did not comment on the reported firing by the helicopter.
The news struck a grievous blow to the families of Fernandez and Hobbs, both married with children.
The Fernandez family now includes 4-year-old daughter Kyla and 13-month-old son Keahi, Florita-Gouveia said. She added that her brother-in-law had only a few months with his youngest before deploying in March. "He and Kyla were real close," she said. "He was supposed to come down in December for two weeks, and he had every day planned for what they would do.
By Vicki Viotti Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer
Uruzgan Gov. Jan Mohammed Khan reported the attack yesterday. He said that a remote-controlled mine detonated under an American Humvee on patrol in the Kishi area of the province's Charcheno district on Thursday afternoon. In response, a U.S. helicopter opened fire on the suspected attacker as he fled on a motorbike, killing him, the governor said. McCann did not comment on the reported firing by the helicopter.
The news struck a grievous blow to the families of Fernandez and Hobbs, both married with children.
The Fernandez family now includes 4-year-old daughter Kyla and 13-month-old son Keahi, Florita-Gouveia said. She added that her brother-in-law had only a few months with his youngest before deploying in March. "He and Kyla were real close," she said. "He was supposed to come down in December for two weeks, and he had every day planned for what they would do.
By Vicki Viotti Honolulu Advertiser Staff Writer
