Army Pfc. Keith M. Williams, 19, of Visalia, Calif. was killed July 24 in Mirugol Kalay, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan.
The Department of Defense reports Williams died of injuries he sustained from when insurgents attacked his vehicle with an improvised explosive device.
Also killed in the blast was Staff Sgt. Benjamin G. Prange, 30, of Hickman, Neb.
Williams and Prange were assigned 1st Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.
Williams enlisted in the Army after he graduated from El Diamante High School in 2013. His sister, Chelsea Sestini, told the Fresno Bee:
"He loved his country so much.
"He wanted to do everything he could to make sure he protected the people he loved, and he said he would die doing it."
"He was just saying, 'Man I'm so excited, I get to come back early. I miss everybody.' "
