An Iowa National Guard soldier from the northeast Iowa town of Shell Rock was reportedly killed Wednesday while serving in Afghanistan.

Flags are flying at half staff at Waverly-Shell Rock High School today after school officials announced that 2009 graduate Don Nichols was killed while serving with the Iowa National Guard in Afghanistan.

No information about the nature of Nichols’ death has been released yet, but Principal Ken Winter tells us that an announcement was made at school today regarding the second death of an Iowa soldier within the past week.

The Iowa National Guard has scheduled a press briefing for 7 o’clock this evening at Camp Dodge. The death would be the second this week of a guard soldier in Afghanistan.      Thirty-one-year old Brent Maher died Monday after a bomb exploded under his vehicle during a patrol. (Maher story)                             

By Jesse Gavin, KCNZ, Cedar Falls