Military officials say 20-year-old Spc. Derek Holland of Wind Gap, Northampton County was killed Tuesday afternoon when the bomb struck his Humvee near the town of Zormat. An Air Force major serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team was also killed in the attack. The vehicle's gunner was injured.
Holland was a 2006 graduate of Pen Argyl High School and enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard during his senior year. He was attached to the 228th Brigade Support Battalion in Bethlehem.
Sgt. 1st Class Timothy Horner was Holland's supervisor. He says Holland was - in his words - "one of the most dedicated soldiers I have known."
