Army Lt. Col. Todd Clark and civilian law enforcement professional Joseph Morabito were killed June 8 when the Afghan soldier they were training shot and killed them.
Family members of both men told Albany, New York television station WNYT-TV of their deaths. The Department of Defense has yet to officially release the names of those killed, including a third American whose identity has not been publicly released.
Clark, 40, leaves behind his widow, Shelley Wuenstel Clark, and two children. Shelley wrote on her Facebook page upon learning of her husband's death:
"There are no words. I am heartbroken. Todd was the best person I knew."
Morabito, 54, was a retired police officer from Hunter, New York who became a defense contractor. His wife, Andrea, told the Albany Times-Union he was a father figure of sorts to the young soldiers deployed to Afghanistan, and was known for nurturing them with his home-cooked meals. Today would have been Morabito's 55th birthday.
The Associated Press reported the insider attack occurred when an argument broke out between the Americans and the Afghan soldier they were training on an Afghan National Army base in Paktika's Kher Qot district. The Afghan soldier turned the gun on the Americans, killing three and wounding three more before he was shot and killed by other troops on the base.
