Ohio soldier, 20, killed in Afghanistan

DEFIANCE, Ohio - A soldier from Ohio is among two killed in action in Afghanistan this week, the U.S. Department of Defense announced Tuesday.

Army Pfc. Brandon Jay Kreischer, 20, of Stryker, Ohio and Spc. Michael Isaiah Nance, 24, of Chicago, Illinois died Monday as a result of wounds in a combat-related incident as they supported Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, a news release states.

The incident is under investigation.

Both soldiers were assigned to 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina, according to the DOD.

Kreischer was shot and killed after being in Afghanistan just under a month, according to a Facebook post by local gym he used to train for the military, Iron Faith.

According to posts on Kreischer’s Facebook page, he leaves behind a family including a wife and the couple is expecting a baby.

“My heart breaks for the family of PFC Brandon Kreischer. He and his wife have a baby on the way,” State Sen. Rob McColley (R-Napoleon) said in a tweet Wednesday morning.

“Let us never forget him and the sacrifices constantly being made to keep us free and safe. May God bring comfort to all those in pain over this tragic loss.”