4th Brigade Soldier Dies at Walter Reed 1 Month After Sustaining Wounds in Afghanistan

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

The Department of Defense announced Monday that 20-year-old Spc. Samuel T. Watts of Wheaton, Ill., died May 19, in Bethesda, Md., of wounds sustained April 25 in Zharay when he was attacked with an enemy improvised explosive device.

Watts was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

Spc. Watts joined the Army July 2010 as an Infantryman and attended One-Station Unit Training and Airborne school at Fort Benning, Ga. He joined the 1-508th PIR in November 2010. This was his first deployment to Afghanistan.

“Sam was a guy you wanted on your team; he was a fighter,” said Capt. Mike Kelvington, Bravo Company Commander, with 1-508th PIR. “From being an expert on the M240 Range with his assigned weapon to defying the odds when all the doctors said he shouldn’t have lived; this long, he fought all the way to the end,” Kelvington said.

During his service Watts earned the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO medal, the Combat Infantryman's Badge and the Parachutist Badge.

He’s remembered as an expert on the weapons range and those who fought with him say he was a guy you wanted on your team according to a hometown news report.

Watts was a former student at Wheaton North High School.