3 soldiers killed in Afghanistan, deaths under investigation

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) — Army Sgt. Eric M. Houck was a dedicated soldier and father of two who had embarked on his first overseas deployment just eight months before he was killed over the weekend in Afghanistan, his father says.

Houck, who was 25, was to have returned home next month. He died along with two other soldiers.

The sergeant from Baltimore was fatally shot Saturday in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar Province alongside Sgt. William M. Bays, 29, of Barstow, Calif., and Cpl. Dillon C. Baldridge, 22, of Youngsville, N.C. All were part of the 101st Airborne Division based at Fort Campbell, the Army post on the Kentucky-Tennessee line.

A Department of Defense statement said – without giving further details today – the soldiers died of gunshot wounds and their deaths are under investigation.

In Washington, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer acknowledged the deaths at his regular press briefing.

“I wanted to take a moment to acknowledge the three service members that were killed this weekend in Afghanistan. The incident is currently under investigation, but our thoughts and our prayers are with the families of these American heroes who’ve lost their lives in this tragic event,” Spicer told reporters.