SOUTH SIOUX CITY, Neb. (AP) – The sister of a U.S. Navy SEAL from South Sioux City says he was among the 30 American troops killed when a military helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan
Chan Follen told KCAU-TV in Sioux City that her brother, John Douangdara, was aboard a Chinook helicopter that the military says was shot down by a rocket-propelled grenade. Follen says the family was notified of his death on Saturday. Douangdara, who graduated from South Sioux City High School in 2003, was a lead dog handler for the elite unit. At least two troops from Nebraska were killed in the helicopter crash. The Nebraska National Guard says Sgt. Patrick Hamburger, of Grand Island, was also among the dead. He was a flight engineer.