Traverse City Record-Eagle

Grand Traverse County

February 7, 2010

4:55pm: TC soldier killed in Afghanistan

By SHERI McWHIRTER

TRAVERSE CITY -- A local paratrooper died in an explosion during his second tour in Afghanistan.

Sgt. Dillon B. Foxx, 22, of Traverse City, died Friday in Bala Murghab, in western Afghanistan, after suffering wounds from an improvised explosive device. He was a forward observer with the U.S. Army's 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division out of Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Initial reports from the U.S. Department of Defense said Foxx died from injuries he received when a bomb exploded near his unit while on patrol in the Murghab District.

He leaves behind a son, Kaiden Levi, of Ohio, his mother, Trina Pfau, of Traverse City, and his father, Robert Lentz, of Tennessee. Family members could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

Foxx enlisted in the Army in May 2006 when he was 18. He trained at Fort Sill in Oklahoma and at Fort Benning in Georgia before he reported to Fort Bragg.

Foxx was deployed to Afghanistan for a 15-month tour in January 2007. He was promoted to sergeant in January 2009 and sent to Afghanistan for a second tour of duty in August, according to military records.

Foxx received many awards and decorations during his time as a soldier, including the Army Achievement Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, the Army Service Ribbon, the Overseas Service Ribbon, the NATO Medal, the Combat Action Badge and the Basic Parachutist Badge.

A memorial will be held for Foxx in Afghanistan.

Clearing the Record

Because of a reporter's error, the name of the mother of a killed soldier from Traverse City was originally misspelled in this article. Her name is Trina Pfau.

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