A soldier from upstate New York has been killed in Afghanistan, the Defense Department reported.
Staff Sgt. Derek J. Farley, 24, of Nassau in Rensselaer County, died at Bala Boluk, Farah, on Aug. 17, after an improvised bomb detonated as he tried to disarm it, the military said. Farley was part of an explosive ordnance disposal team.
Farley had received a Purple Heart for his service in Iraq when he lost his hearing in one ear after an explosion in 2007, according to reports.
He was assigned to the 18th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 16th Sustainment Brigade, 21st Theater Sustainment Command, based out of Grafenwoehr, Germany.
