Diverse News 2008®

NEWS FEEDS
Pennsylvania National Guard Soldier From Northampton County Killed in Action
    HARRISBURG, Pa., June 5 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A Pennsylvania Army
National Guard soldier from Wind Gap, Northampton County, was killed in
action early Tuesday afternoon near the town of Zormat, Afghanistan.

    Spc. Derek Holland, 20, of Alpha Company, 228th Brigade Support
Battalion, Bethlehem, died when an improvised explosive device struck his
Humvee. Holland was serving as security for the Gardez Provincial
Reconstruction Team, which operates in Paktia Province helping Afghanistan
build its infrastructure for essential services.

    An Air Force major serving with the Provincial Reconstruction Team was
also killed in the attack. The gunner for the vehicle, also a Pennsylvania
National Guard soldier, was injured and evacuated to Landstuhl, Germany.

    Holland was a 2006 graduate of Pen Argyl High School and enlisted in
the Pennsylvania National Guard during his senior year.

    "Derek was an energetic young man who was admired by his fellow
Soldiers for his work ethic and devotion to duty," said Maj. Gen. Jessica
L. Wright, Pennsylvania adjutant general. "This is a tragic loss and we
keep his family in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."

    "He was one of the most dedicated soldiers I have known," said Sgt. 1st
Class Timothy Horner, Holland's supervisor with Alpha Company. "He just
wanted to do his part in serving his county. He wanted to do the job he
came in to do."

    More than 700 Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers are currently
providing security for Provincial Reconstruction Teams located throughout
Afghanistan. The soldiers are scheduled to return in December.

    Thirty-two Pennsylvania National Guard soldiers have been killed in
action in Iraq and Afghanistan. Holland is the fifth Pennsylvania National
Guard soldier to lose his life in Afghanistan.

    Holland will be posthumously awarded a Purple Heart and Combat Action
Badge.

    EDITOR'S NOTE: A photo of Spc. Derek Holland can be found on the
Department of Military and Veterans Affairs Web site, http://www.dmva.state.pa.us.
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