A soldier with Iowa ties has reportedly died after the U.S. military helicopter he was riding in crashed Sunday in southeastern Afghanistan. Family members say U.S. Army Specialist Travis Vaughn, a 1999 graduate of Cedar Falls High School, died in that crash.
Vaughn was a part of a special operations unit, stationed out of Fort Campbell, Kentucky. A U.S. miliary spokesman said the CH-47 Chinook helicopter with 22 soldiers on board was experiencing a sudden and unexplained loss of power and control, killing eight American service personnel. Family members were notified of his death Sunday morning.