Army Chief Warrant Officer Edward Balli, 42, died Jan. 20 in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.
The attack in which Balli lost his life, confirmed by the Stars and Stripes, was the coordinated strike against Forward Operating Base Pasab that involved one insurgent driving a truck bomb, and eight others dressed in military fatigues and suicide vests.
Balli's uncle, Tony Virrueta, told the Monterey County Herald his nephew grew up in Salinas, Calif.
According to the Herald, Balli leaves behind his wife, Kristy, his mother, a brother, and two sisters.
Balli was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Troop, 2nd Cavalry Regiment, U.S. Army Europe, Vilseck, Germany.
