Special Forces Soldiers die in Afghanistan

From the U.S. Army Special Forces Command Public Affairs Office

FORT BRAGG, N.C. (USASOC News Service, June 1, 2011) – Three Green Berets died May 29 while on a mounted patrol when the vehicle they were traveling in struck an IED in the Wardak Province, Afghanistan.

Capt. Joseph W. Schultz, 36, Staff Sgt. Martin Apolinar, 28, and Sgt. Aaron Blasjo, 25, died from wounds sustained in the explosion. Schultz and Apolinar were assigned to Company C, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne), while Blasjo is a part of the Group Support Battalion within 3rd Special Forces Group, which is headquartered at Fort Bragg , N.C.

All three Special Forces Soldiers were deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, and had previously deployed to Operation Iraq Freedom, in Iraq.