S. Florida Soldier Killed In Afghanistan

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (CBS4) - A soldier from South Florida serving in Operation Enduring Freedom has died in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Department of Defense said 24-year-old Army Specialist Jorge E. Villacis, of Sunrise, died on December 12th in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. He and five other soldiers were killed when suicide insurgents attacked their building with a car bomb filled with enough explosives to bring down the building.

The attack vehicle was loaded with an estimated 1,000 pounds of explosives, according to the division's commander, Maj. Gen. John Campbell. He said the vehicle got past an Afghan security point near a joint NATO-Afghan outpost and hit a wall near the building where the six soldiers were.

Villacis was assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

Villacis was an Infantryman, who joined the Army in September 2008 and arrived at Fort Campbell in February 2009. Villacis' awards and decorations include: Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Afghanistan Campaign Medal; Global War Terrorism Service Medal; Army Service Ribbon, and Combat Infantry Badge.

Villacis is survived by his wife, Melissa Villacis; and children Zackert T. Devereaux, Julian E. Villacis and Jocelyn E. Villacis, all of Fort Campbell; mother Cecilia Villacis and father Jorge E. Villacis of Hollywood, Fla.

Fort Campbell has lost 104 soldiers this year in Afghanistan, where the division has fielded fighters in some of the country's most violent regions.