FORT DRUM -- The Fort Drum community is mourning the loss of two 10th Mountain Division soldiers stationed at Fort Polk, Louisiana. They were killed Friday September 23, in Wardak province, Afghanistan, when insurgents attacked their unit with an improvised explosive device.
28-year-old Sergeant Rafael E. Bigai Baez, of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and 19-year-old Private First Class Carlos Aparicio, of San Bernardino, California, were killed.
Bigai Baez was an infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. He Baez joined the Army in October 2003 and arrived at Fort Polk in June, 2010. Bigai Baez deployed to Kuwait from December 2004 to December 2005. He deployed to Afghanistan with his unit in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2010.
He was awarded the the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Commendation Medal and several other honors.
Bigai Baez is survived by his two children, his mother and father.
Private First Class Aparicio was an infantryman with the 2nd Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. He joined the Army in June 2010. After training at Fort Benning, Georgia, he arrived at Fort Polk in January, 2011. He deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in February 2011.
Aparicio's awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Army Achievement Medal and other honors.
Aparicio is survived by his mother and father.
