Soldier, NA grad is killed
FORT BRAGG, N.C. — A 1996 graduate of North Allegheny High School has been killed in Iraq, school officials confirmed.
Army Capt. Erick Foster, 29, of Franklin Park, a company commander with the 1st Squadron, 73rd Cavalry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne, died in Iraq this week after an insurgent attack, the Department of Defense announced Thursday
Foster died Wednesday in Ballad of injuries sustained when his unit was attacked by insurgent small arms fire in Muqdadiya, military officials said.
He graduated from Duquesne University in 2000, after which he joined the Army.
He received his commission in Armor in May 2000 and was assigned to Fort Hood, Texas, for a time before reporting to the 82nd Airborne Division in April 2004. Foster became his troop's commander in October 2006.
"Foster was a respected and proven combat leader whose love for his men supplied him daily with motivation," Foster's close friend, Capt. John Hartsock, said in a written statement.
Foster had previously deployed to Iraq from 2004 to 2005 with the 3rd Battalion, 67th Armor Regiment, according to a news release from the 82nd Airborne Division.
Foster is survived by his parents, Robert and Barbara Foster, and sister Abby Foster, all of Franklin Park. Another sister, Elizabeth Werkheiser, lives in South Kirkwood, Mo.
