Stafford Marine Killed in Afghanistan

A Marine from Stafford has been identified as one of three recent fatalities in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense.

Staff Sgt. David H. Stewart, 34, died Friday, June 20, while conducting combat operations in Helmand province. He was assigned to 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.

The Marine Corps Times notes this was Stewart’s second deployment to Afghanistan and that he had been deployed to Iraq three times.

A profile in The Washington Post notes Stewart is survived by his wife and two children, ages 2 years old and 14 months.

“He was the most joyous father you could ever know,” his wife, Kristine Stewart, told the paper.