Army Staff Sergeant Larry I. Rougle, 25, of West Jordan, Utah was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 503rd Airborne Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, Vicenza, Italy. He was killed on October 23, 2007, at Sawtalo Sar Mountain in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province when enemy fighters ambushed his unit with small-arms fire. SSG Roudle, positioned near the front of the patrol, was shot in the abdomen.

SSG Rougle graduated from Granite High School at age 17. He enlisted on March 14, 2000, completing infantry, airborne and Ranger training before joining Company B, 3rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. A Ranger-qualified paratrooper and sniper, Larry completed six combat deployments—three each to Iraq and Afghanistan. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal and Purple Heart.

SSG Rougle’s mother remembered him as cheerful and affectionate. His aunt described him as exceptionally intelligent, interested in politics and financial markets, and deeply concerned about people living in war-torn countries.

SSG Rougle was survived by his daughter, parents and brother.