Ohio soldier dies in Afghanistan

A 38-year-old southwest Ohio soldier just days away from a visit home to see his wife and three children has been killed in Afghanistan. The Army says Sgt. First Class Bobby Estle of Lebanon was one of two Fort Drum, N.Y.-based soldiers killed Saturday when their unit was attacked with small arms fire in Wardak Province. He was with the 630th Engineer Company, 7th Engineer Battalion, 10th Sustainment Brigade. Estle joined the Army in 1993. He had been deployed twice to Iraq and twice to Afghanistan. His wife, Monica, said the family had been looking forward to a visit home within 10 days. Among the many awards and decorations for the combat engineer have been the Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Meritorious Service Medal and others.