Soldier from Las Vegas dies in Iraq of illness
Army Staff Sgt. Michael L. Townes, of Las Vegas, died Sunday in Balad, Iraq, from a non-combat related illness, U.S. military officials said Monday.
A statement from the Department of Defense said the 29-year-old Townes was assigned to the 4th Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, Aviation Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood, Texas.
No details were available late Monday about Townes’ illness.
A spokeswoman for the Nevada National Guard confirmed, however, that a casualty assistance officer had been dispatched to the home of Townes’ family in Las Vegas.
He is the 55th U.S. military member with ties to Nevada to have died in the nation’s wars overseas since the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
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