United States Department of Defense

               The Department of Defense announced today the deaths of two soldiers who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.  They died Aug. 30 in Malajat, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.  They were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo.

               Killed were:

               1^st Lt. Mark A. Noziska, 24, of Papillon, Neb.

               Staff Sgt. Casey J. Grochowiak, 34, of Lompoc, Calif.

               For more information media may contact the Fort Carson public affairs office at 719-526-7525; after hours 719-526-5500.

               UPDATE:  Sept. 3, 2010 – 2^nd Lt. Noziska was posthumously promoted to 1^st lieutenant.