A U.S. Army special forces soldier has died from wounds he received earlier this month in Afghanistan's southern Helmand Province, the Defense Department said on August 13.
Sergeant 1st Class Reymund Rarogal Transfiguracion, 36, of Hawaii, died on August 12 at a hospital in Germany. He was wounded when an improvised explosive device detonated near him while he was on patrol, the department said.
Transfiguracion was a staff sergeant when he was wounded but was posthumously promoted to sergeant first class, said Major Beth Riordan, spokeswoman for 1st Special Forces Command.
Officials said the incident that killed him was under investigation.
While Afghan security forces are conducting most of the fighting against the Taliban and other insurgent groups, U.S. troops operate alongside them in a training capacity and are frequently on the front lines.
Transfiguracion was an engineer assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group, based in the U.S. state of Washington.
Born in the Philippines, he enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard in 2001. He joined the active duty Army in 2008, and later went through special forces training at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
Transfiguracion deployed to Iraq in 2005 and 2008. His latest war tour in Afghanistan started in March.
Among his numerous awards, Transfiguracion received a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and a Meritorious Service Medal as a result of his Afghanistan service. It was the second Purple Heart he received during his military career.