Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa, 26 and Master Sgt. David L. Hurt, 36, died when their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device. Bessa died at the scene while Hurt succumbed to his wounds after being medically evacuated to Kandahar Airfield for treatment.
Both Soldiers are assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne). Hurt was a Special Forces operations sergeant and Bessa was a Special Forces communications sergeant.
Hurt, a native of Oak Park, Ill., is survived by his wife Kelly, daughter Avery and son Wyatt, all of Grays Creek, N.C.; mother Bonnie Hurt of Hope Mills, N.C. and father Joe Hurt of Memphis, Tenn.
Bessa, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, is survived by his wife Lindsey and their son Carson, both of Fayetteville, N.C.; parents Ted and Julie Bessa of Whispering Pines, N.C. and brother Christopher L. Bessa, Fort Carson, Colo.