TOPSHAM

A soldier from Topsham died in Afghanistan Sunday supporting Operation Enduring Freedom after his unit was attacked with an improvised explosive device, the Department of Defense announced Tuesday afternoon.

The Defense Department said in a release posted on its website Tuesday afternoon that Sgt. Corey E. Garver, 26, of Topsham, died Sunday in Zormat, Afghanistan, “of wounds sustained when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device.” He was assigned to the1st Battalion, 506th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, Fort Campbell, Ky.

Peter Rogers, the communications director for the Maine Department of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management, said Tuesday that on Sunday night, “our casualty assistance team received a call from Fort Drum, N.Y., notifiying us of the death of an active duty soldier in Afghanistan, so we dispatched a team to the address they gave us for the primary next of kin. When we arrived we found out that in fact, the primary next of kin was no longer living in the state,” which they passed along to Fort Drum.

The U.S. Army’s Washington army said it waits 24 hours after the next of kin is notified before publicly announcing casualties.

Craig King, principal of Mt. Ararat High School in Topsham where Garver attended from 2004 to 2006, said he didn’t know Garver well, but remembers Garver and remembers the day he met with his recruiter and was very excited about joining the military.

“We are saddened to hear that this young man has passed away,” the school stated in a release Tuesday in reaction to the death of the former student. “Like many young people who have attended Mt. Ararat High School, Corey chose to serve his country, placing the defense of our nation above his personal safety.”

Garver grew up in the Old Farm Road neighborhood, and had many friends and “a very outgoing personality,” the school release said.

“I remember the day Corey met with his military recruiter in the Guidance Office,” King said.  “He was happy that he had found a calling to pursue.  Corey told me he was excited about his decision to enlist and it was evident to me that he was proud of the commitment he was making.”