Fort Bragg soldiers among victims in Afghan crash

The Department of Defense has identified two Fort Bragg-based soldiers among seven killed Monday when their helicopter crashed in Darreh-ye Bum, Afghanistan.

Sgt. 1st Class David E. Metzger and Staff Sgt. Keith R. Bishop were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Bragg. They had been in Afghanistan since July.

Metzger, 32, a native of San Diego, was a communications sergeant. He was on his third deployment to Afghanistan.

Metzger enlisted in the Army in 1996 as an ammunitions specialist, and graduated from Special Forces training in 2007.

He had received the Bronze Star, the Army Commendation Medal, the Army Achievement Medal and others.

Metzger is survived by his sons, David and Grant of Fort Bragg, and his parents, David Metzger and Lisandra Holstein of San Diego.

Bishop, 28, a native of Smithtown, N.Y., was a weapons sergeant. He enlisted in the Army in 2003 as an infantryman, serving in South Korea before entering Special Forces training in 2007. He was on his second deployment in the war on terror. His awards include the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal with Valor.

He is survived by his wife, Margaret, of Flager Beach, Fla.; and parents, Robert and Suzan Bishop of Carlisle, Pa.

Under investigation

Also killed in the accident were five soldiers assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne), Hunter Army Airfield, Ga., and three federal Drug Enforcement Administration officers.

The crash, one of two involving American military in Afghanistan on Monday, is still under investigation. NATO officials have said the helicopter was returning from a joint operation that targeted insurgents involved in narcotics trafficking in western Afghanistan.