Fallen Guardsmen honored at building dedication
by Staff Sgt. Whitney Hughes CJTF-101
BAGRAM AIR FIELD, Afghanistan – U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Steven Deluzio and U.S. Army Sgt. Tristan Southworth, both infantryman with Company A, 3rd Battalion 172nd Infantry Regiment, 86th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, will be remembered by future troop rotations on Bagram Airfield thanks to new buildings dedicated in their names, Nov. 23.
Two long, yellow barracks that will house future rotations of Soldiers on Bagram Airfield had their names changed to Deluzio and Southworth Halls, in honor of the Vermont Army National Guard Soldiers.
Deluzio, 25, a Glastonbury, Conn., native, and Southworth, 21, a Walden, Vt., native, died of wounds sustained during combat operations in Paktya Province Aug. 25.
At a dedication ceremony attended by Soldiers of A Company, 3rd Bn. and 86th IBCT leadership, Deluzio and Southworth were remembered for their loyalty and commitment to the mission in Afghanistan.
“It means everything to (the Company A soldiers) that their fallen brothers are not forgotten, and their sacrifices were not made in vain,” said U.S Army Lt. Col. Robert Charlesworth, the 3rd Battalion commander from Jericho, Vt.