Afghanistan

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Another unit out of the Ozarks is on its way to Afghanistan. The 509th Engineer Company gathered in the old terminal at the Springfield-Branson National Airport, on Thursday evening, before boarding a plane to head overseas. The 509th has a long history of serving the United States, tracing all the way back to World War II. Some of these soldiers are deploying for the first time, others for the second or third time. For Sparta's Matthew Hyde, it's his second deployment, the first in 2007 to Iraq.      For him, leaving family is never easy.

LICKING, Mo. -- The family of a soldier from here who was serving in Afghanistan learned of his death on Wednesday morning.  Sgt. Tyler Smith was a 2006 graduate of Licking High School.   The Defense Department had not issued a news release about Smith's death, as of Wednesday afternoon, so the circumstances of his death aren't known.  His parents, Jeannie and Dan Smith, live in Licking, as do his brother and other relatives.   The pastor...

ROLLA, Mo. - A local soldier has been killed while serving in Afghanistan. Private First Class Richard McNulty III died on Saturday as the result of an IED explosion. The Rolla High School graduate and soccer star was married in 2010. The Rolla Daily News reports McNulty was deployed in December and scheduled to come home in three weeks. His wife is due to give birth to their first child in late June. McNulty's brother confirmed the death to the Rolla newspaper.

JOPLIN, Mo.-- Around 200 soldiers from the Ozarks were reunited with their families at a welcome home ceremony on Monday. The soldiers are part of the larger 203rd Engineering Battalion that has been serving in Afghanistan for the last year. The soldiers had the dangerous duty of clearing away explosive devices from the roads used by the military and civilians. Two members were lost during the mission: SGT Denis De Leon Kisseloff and SGT Robert Wayne Crow. Members of the 203rd conducted more than 1,400 missions during their time.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. --  With weapons slung and sunshine on their faces, more than a hundred soldiers stepped onto American soil as a company here for the first time in 12 months. The 515 th Sapper Company flew into Springfield/ Branson National Airport Monday evening before boarding buses to their home at Fort Leonard Wood. Among the service members concluding their combat tour was 28-year-old Staff Sergeant Matthew Holmes of Strafford whose wife gave bir th to their baby girl during the deployment.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- A Springfield soldier injured in Afghanistan just days before her 20th birthday.  Private First Class Amanda Larimore is a 2009 graduate of Hillcrest High School and a member of the Military Police who found herself in the middle of an hours long attack last Saturday. On February 12th, Amanda was working, and her mother was awake watching the news. That's when she heard about a violent Taliban attack in Kandahar, where Amanda was working. "That's when she sent the text to Amanda," said Joe Larimore, Amanda's father.

MONETT, Mo. -- Services are set for a Monett High School graduate who died in Afghanistan.  Visitation for the family of Army Spc. Christopher Stark is from 6 to 9 Friday night at Buchanan Funeral Home in Monett.  A public ceremony is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Jolly Mill Park.  The burial will be a private service. Stark, 22,  was killed on Feb. 28 by a roadside bomb.

Missouri National Guard officials say a soldier from Seymour, Missouri, has died in Afghanistan. Sergeant First Class Robert Pharris was killed January 5 when he and some fellow soldiers were hit by a roadside bomb. The 48-year-old was an agriculture specialist and the first casualty for the Missouri National Guard's Agri-Business Development Team.  SFC Pharris helped teach Afghan farmers about growing crops other than poppies. SFC Pharris was born in Mansfield.  His father was a farmer and Marine who served in Korea and Vietnam.

NANGARHAR PROVINCE, Afghanistan - Missouri National Guard Agribusiness Development Team VI reports no fatalities or life threatening injuries following an attack on the forward operating base where it is stationed in Nangarhar Province. Missouri National Guard adjutant general, Maj. Gen. Stephen Danner, says the Resiliency and Family Support teams are working to assist the unit's families in Missouri.  All families have been contacted by the Missouri National Guard and have information on their soldier or airman.  Gov. Jay Nixon also has been briefed about the attack.

MONETT, Mo. -- A soldier from the Ozarks died in Afghanistan last Monday.  Spc. Christopher Stark, 22, was a trained bomb specialist who graduated from Monett High School in 2007.   A bomb, or improvised explosive device in military terms, killed him and another soldier from Texas. The Monett School District assistant superintendent says Stark just talked to his family last week.  His mom is the director of the Nevada Regional Technical Center. Stark was assigned to the 63rd Explosive Ordnance Disposal Battalion, 20th Support Command, at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland.